


Redemption

by Emimar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 13:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1227835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emimar/pseuds/Emimar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title: Redemption - Completed<br/>Author: Emimar <br/>Characters: OCs, <br/>Era: Set during Return of the Jedi<br/>Rating: PG –13<br/>Category: Action<br/>Summary: The Empire discovers the base of the Ackley.<br/>Disclaimers: I do not own anything of Star Wars, all canon characters, locations aliens etc belong to George Lucas and connected companies and authors. I do not make any money from this story. All original characters belong to me and if you wish to use them in your fan fic, they must only play a minor part and please don't kill them off or do anything else drastic with them e.g. give them a love child or something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Flik Sivrak looked around at the assembled group of Rebels before him known as the Ackley. Zan, a human male from some unknown planet. There were many planets that humans called their homeworld and he never told anyone where he came from. There was Kaitlin Ros from the planet Chandrilla, a blonde haired human female and the youngest among them at seventeen years. The Cathor female in their group was called Artea Fen. Quan, the Shi'do male stood next to her and Cathos, the male Gotal. Then his gaze fell on Shiba Black, from the destroyed planet Alderaan, the love of his life. He had married her shortly after they had joined the Alliance. He turned back to the others.

"You all know what you have to do," it wasn't a question, more like a statement of fact. They had been over the plan several times before until everyone knew what part they had. He had not made it too rigid so that they could change it if the need came up. Being a former bounty hunter, he knew that sometimes the plan didn't work out and you had to go with the flow of the moment as it were and adapt and change to succeed. Even so, he rarely got himself into a situation without some sort of plan. They all made a gesture of acknowledgement.

He caught Shiba's eye just before they started. She smiled at him, the exchange sending a warm glow through his body. Quan Shape-shifted into a Barabel and made a hole in the fence that stood between them and their goal.

Flik passed through after Quan. He felt Shiba follow him through with his mind. He could sense her nervousness, but she was steady. She had done this sort of thing time and again.

Next came Kaitlin. It was her first mission and understandably she was the most jittery. He caressed her mind with the Force to reassure her. She was Force sensitive too and his touch calmed her.

The brash, cocky Zan passed through the gap next. He pretended he was cool and hard, ready for a fight, but deep down he was as nervous as the rest of them.

Artea Fen went through after Zan, calm and cool as always. She masked her fear well for a non-Jedi.

Cathos brought up the rear. Apart from Shiba, he was the only one among them who knew what Flik had once been. Kaitlin suspected him of being a Jedi, but she wasn't sure. Like many, she thought the Jedi were evil, otherwise, why would the Emperor had destroyed them?

Flik had rescued her from a gang of thugs a few weeks ago. He had recognised her potential instantly and it had taken him some time to persuade her to join them. She had been reluctant at first, until she witnessed a family of Omwatti she had befriended slaughtered by Stormtroopers. One of them, Shivron, had survived, though badly injured. Shiba had saved his life but not without the loss of part of his right arm. She could have replaced it with a prosthetic, but he had refused. He was younger than Kaitlin, at fourteen and had become a part of Flik's family. The kid was a good mechanic, in spite of the loss of his arm. At the moment, he was on Eriadu, at their base. Though Eriadu was an Imperial planet, the new Governor, Trin, was in fact a secret Rebel.

"Artea, Cathos, secure a transport to get us out of here," Flik said. "The rest are with me."

Artea and Cathos broke off from them and headed towards the docking bay of the Imperial Prison.

Flik shot a couple of guards with his blaster. Zan quickly donned the Stormtrooper armour and Quan shape shifted to replace the other.

"Do you think this'll work?" Kaitlin asked, a little nervously.

"It'll work," Flik told her as binders were put on him, Shiba and the young woman from Chandrilla. Quan reappeared from hiding the bodies before they continued on. They got about fifty paces inside the prison before they were stopped by an Imperial Officer.

Zan made up a cover story about apprehending a group of Rebels snooping outside the perimeter. With Flik using the Force to influence his mind, the Officer bought it.

They continued down the corridor until they came to a turbolift.

Zan inserted the access code that Intelligence had uncovered, the doors slid open and they piled inside. Zan then pouched in the floor number where the prisoner was being held.

***

A patrol found the bodies of the two dead Stormtroopers and an alarm was sounded. Intruders in the facility!

***

Artea and Cathos became aware that something was wrong after they had managed to get into the docking bay and seal it off.

Artea turned to her Gotal companion. "What shall we do?"

"Wait here until Flik and the others get here."

***  
*  
"Great!" Flik cursed as the alarms reached his ears.

Kaitlin, who had been hacking into the computer systems, found the cell number where the Rebel prisoner was being held.

"Cell number 988A."

"Got it," Zan said, going down the corridor that was lined with cell doors on either side.

"Hurry up. It's only a matter of time before they find us," Flik said. He already had his blaster trained on the door. He preferred to use his lightsabre, but he knew that would give him away as being a Jedi immediately. To all intents and purposes, he wasn't a Jedi anymore. He had forsaken being a Jedi when he had been forced to kill his son, Tek, who had turned to the Darkside.

He glanced across at Shiba. She gave him a warm smile that made his hackles stand on end, not in anger, but in anticipation of what would happen later.

Focus, Sivrak, he told himself. Now was not the time to let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission. The uncertainty had lifted from her, replaced by a readiness to fight and a cold determination to succeed. He sensed strong feelings of revenge pouring off her and it frightened him. Though she was warm and gentle towards him and her children, she also had a cold anger inside her over the destruction of her homeworld. It was much more potent than the fiery red-hot anger that she'd held before that quickly boiled to the surface.

Flik reached out with the Force to check upon the progress of the enemies' advancement, an ability he had not used in a long time. He glanced over at Shiba again and his heart filled with joy. He remembered her words to him around a year ago.

"If you ignore what you are, then you will be no better than them and Zak will never know what it is like to be a Jedi."

Ever since Shiba had said those words he had started using the Force again. He thought about Zak, his grandson and Shiba's two children, his family. One that he loved very much.

Most Jedi had never had a family, being separated from their parents and trained to be a Jedi from childhood. The Jedi Master who trained them was the closest thing to a family most Jedi ever had, father, mother, brother, sister. To the Jedi Master, the Padawan was his or her child.

He thought about his Master, Naja, who had been dead for more than twenty years. He realised he still missed him now, especially his love and his guidance. He wished he still had that.

He was reluctant to teach Zak the ways of the Force, after what happened to Tek. Thinking of him made him think of Auoura, Tek's mother, and his first mate, long dead.

The sound of blaster fire interrupted Flik's thoughts just as Zan returned, with the prisoner in tow.

"Good to see you again, Sivrak," the female Bothan said.

"We're going to have to stop meeting like this, Shara. My wife might get jealous."

"They're coming through," Zan said.

"Get ready," Flik ordered.

Quan morphed again, into a Barabel. Flik's hand shifted to his belt, but then thought better of it. He really didn't want to reveal the truth about himself, not even in front of his team-mates.

His gaze shifted to Shiba. As always, she was ready. No one would have thought that the Alderaanian doctor was a fighter if they didn't know her.

The door glowed red, then yellow, then white as blaster fire burned through. Quan swung a heavy fist at the nearest Stormtrooper, throwing him back into his comrades. Blaster fire ricocheted off the walls. Shiba and Zan managed to clear the doorway and they made their escape. Flik pulled Kaitlin behind him to protect her. He felt responsible for her safety and as the youngest of them, he was protective towards her. Shiba, he knew well enough to know she could pretty much take care of herself. As they fought their way through the corridors, Flik keyed in his comlink.

"Artea, are you there?"

"Here, Cap. Whaz up?"

"Are you ready with the transport?"

"We're waiting, Cap, but hurry. We don't know how much longer we can keep the Stormies out."

"We'll get there as fast as we can," Flik said, Shiba shot a Stormtrooper as he spoke.

Quan led them through the maze of corridors. Just as they turned the last corner before the docking bay, they were ambushed by a squad of Stormtroopers waiting for them. Quan being in front, was shot down. Shiba got Quan's killer with her blaster. The Stormtroopers met them with another volley of shots, Flik resorting to using his lightsabre to block the fire. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough to block the one hat had gotten Zan, but the armour he wore stopped him from receiving a life threatening injury.

Flik used the Force to distort the Stormtroopers' aim. They got pinned down as Shiba tried to help Zan and a fire fight with the Stormtrooper squad ensued. Shara and Kaitlin exchanged shots with the surviving Stormtroopers, but they were still pinned. Seeing no alternative, Flik used the Force to push the Stormtroopers, throwing them hard against the wall. The Stormtroopers lay still, unconscious but not dead.

Flik hauled Zan to his feet. The injured Rebel leaned on Kaitlin and the wolfman for support. Fortunately, no Stormtroopers showed up as they covered the short distance to the docking bay. As they entered, however, another squad of Stormtroopers appeared from a corridor different to the one the Rebels had come down.

Artea and Cathos were forced to protect them with cover fire. Shiba waited until they were halfway into the docking bay before she tossed a grenade into the mist of the Stormtroopers. The ceiling of the corridor collapsed during the resulting explosion. Artea and Cathos rushed up the boarding ramp to get them off the ground as Flik and Kaitlin hauled the injured Zan up the boarding ramp, with Shiba and the Bothan a pace behind.

The ramp closed, and Flik and Shara manned the transports' almost inadequate weapons, leaving Kaitlin and Shiba to deal with Zan.

After a brief but nasty dog fight in space, they managed to escape into hyperspace.

Flik punched the bulkhead in front of him in frustration - not only had they lost Quan, but they'd had to leave his body behind - not a good fate for a friend. He sensed Shiba behind him. "Zan's going to be fine," she said as she knelt down behind him and rested her head on his shoulder. Flik sank back into his seat, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.

Even when they succeeded, there always seemed to be something that marred their victory.


	2. Chapter 2

What Flik hadn't anticipated when they returned to the base on Eriadu was the long, boring, and in his opinion, plus that of the rest of the Ackley, unnecessary debriefing to Trin and the other Rebel Officers before he could see his family. He was glad when the debriefing had ended. Chan, Jeana and Zak had all grown in the last year. He had begun to teach Zak a little about the Force, but was very cautious with it and made him promise not to use it when he wasn't around.

"I'm glad that's over with," Flik said to Shiba, who was waiting for him outside the debriefing room. "I sometimes wish it was still just me and you."

Shiba nodded her agreement. "It does get tiresome, but it has to be done. Did Trin say anything about Quan's -"

"Yes. He said that we'll be having a memorial after the next mission. It can't wait, not even to mourn the dead," Flik said sadly, remembering the words of Master Yoda, with some regret, "Mourn not the dead, at one with the Force, they are!" The wolfman wondered if it applied to those who were non-Force sensitive, too.

Shiba squeezed his arm. That was the worst thing, sometimes, everything went so fast that sometimes you couldn't even stop to honour the passing of a friend.

They walked through the hanger bay on the way to the rooms that were their sanctuary from everything and passed Shivron who was busy with some tools. He looked up and saw them coming towards him. Shivron stopped what he was doing and greeted them. Shivron was a small, thin youth with blue skin and light feathery hair. Flik had come to like the Omwatti and embraced him warmly. Shivron tried his best to return the embrace and then he gave Shiba a smile. They were in the middle of proceedings to adopt the Omwatti boy, but it was difficult with the anti-alien sentiments of the Empire and the Alliance was not yet a government, just an organisation of freedom fighters. Flik knew that it would take along time, even with Trin pulling all the strings he could, but at least for the moment, the Omwatti was safe.

"You weren't waiting for us, were you?" Flik asked him.

"I'm waiting for Kaitlin," he answered.

"She'll be a while. You might as well let me take a look at your arm," Shiba informed him. Trin always insisted on debriefing the Ackley separately from one another. Shiba really felt for Kaitlin, being so young and having to report the details of Quan's death alone, but it was done to make sure the others didn't influence their version of events. Shiba knew that Shivron had a crush on Kaitlin, but she wasn't sure if she should really encourage it. Shivron had been through a lot with the loss of his family and Zan had taken an interest in her, though whether the Chandrillian reciprocated that, was another matter. Shiba wondered how many more waifs and strays they would pick up before the war was over. It was Flik's sense of morality that was kicking in now. He had changed from the ruthless bounty hunter he had been when she first met him, or maybe it had been there all along, waiting for someone like her to kick start it again. He was becoming the Jedi once again, though not all at once.

Shiba took Shivron into the small examining room that served as her surgery and took a look at the boy's injury. He still had the top half of his right arm but the lower half had been so badly damaged that not even bacta could have helped it.

"I can still fit you with that prosthetic," Shiba said. "If you want me to."

Shivron looked at the arm that was still encased in the transparisteel case for protection. It would have worked as good as his real one, except the skin tone was flesh coloured, instead of the blue of an Omwatti. Just another way the Empire discriminated against the non-human people of the galaxy. If Shivron had been a Mon Calamari, say, Shiba doubted she would have even found one compatible.

"I'll be fine without it."

"If it's the colour -"

"I said, I'll be fine," Shivron said, his tone quiet.

With that, Shivron left the room.

"Why do you think he refuses treatment?" Flik asked her.

"He doesn't want to forget what happened, I guess. I understand why. When Alderaan was destroyed, I became so bitter in wanting revenge. I partly felt guilty that I'd survived while the rest of my family hadn't."

"I know, I sensed it in you when I met you," Flik said, he reached out for her hand. "Guilt is not an easy thing to live with."

"Thanks for getting me through that time."

"Hey, no problem. You helped me as well, remember?"

Shiba smiled. "That you did."

Shiba broke away from him and walked over to the bacta tank where Zan had been recuperating ever since they had arrived back at the base. She checked the time and saw that Zan was due to come out of the tank. She turned to Flik.

"Do you think I should let him out now?" she asked.

"Nah, I'd say leave him in for a week. Keep him quiet," the Shistavanen replied.

Zan, getting the gist of the conversation, made a rude gesture at them as he bobbed up and down in the tank.

Smiling, Shiba turned to the medical droid and said, "Let him out, but if he misbehaves, he's going straight back in."

They exited the surgery and greeted Kobrossk, a Trandoshan and Sholinar the Wookiee, that made up the rest of the Ackley as they made their way to their rooms in the Governor's Palace. It was a small operation and officially, Flik and Shiba were employed as bodyguards for Trin. If anyone had done some digging, they would have found out that Flik and Shiba were in fact Rebels, but no one seemed to be bothered about the identity of Trin's bodyguards. To all outward perceptions, Flik was at best a servant, and Shiba was Trin's mistress. Trin kept this impression going by treating Flik like dirt whenever they had company from another Governor or Moff. He always had Shiba accompany him offworld, instead of having his true wife travel with him. Shiba always wore a scandalous costume and put other things into play to keep up the deception and to disguise her appearance whenever they were on those types of missions.

The people who worked at the Palace as guards were all Rebels and security was tight. Because they needed to up keep the image of being Imperial, everyone, apart from the members of the Ackley were human.

There was one part of the Palace where only Trin, Cresentina, Trin's wife, Flik and Shiba had access to and that was their private living quarters. The decor was too Imperial for Flik's liking, but he knew they had to keep it that way to maintain the illusion.

They entered their quarters, passing through the common room, which the members of the Ackley used to socialise and doubled as their briefing room. They found Cresentina, Trin's wife, with their children. Cresentina was a beautiful young woman, who if you didn't know her, gave the impression that she reaped the benefits of being rich and that was all she cared about. Flik knew that wasn't true and if not for her, Trin's deception would have been uncovered by Imperial Intelligence months ago. She was also expecting her and Trin's first child, which meant that she'd been out of action of late.

"Hello, Flik, Shiba," she said.

Flik and Shiba greeted her before they were swamped by Zak, Jeana and Chan. Zak and Jeana were five years old, now and Chan three years. Cresentina left them to be alone, and went in search of her husband.

"Do you want a drink?" Flik asked before he went into the kitchen.

"I'll have the same as you," Shiba replied. "We'll be in the common room."

"OK," the wolfman said as he disappeared through the door.

He mixed up hot chocolate for himself and Shiba and juice for the kids. He had taken a liking to hot chocolate recently, though at that moment in time he would have preferred Corellian whisky, because of the stress of Quan's death. That would be a loss the members of the Ackley would feel for sometime to come. In the past, he used to drink Lomin Ale, but ever since Auoura had died, he'd stayed away from the stuff.

Sometimes, when he and Shiba had an unsuccessful hunt, he would have gotten blindingly drunk at a cantina and Shiba had to literally drag him back to the Forgotten Warrior. It was at times like that when they'd been at their most vulnerable. Briefly looking back over the events that had occurred since Auoura's death, Tek's turn to the darkside and Alderaan's destruction, both Shiba and Flik had seen the worst of each other. Perhaps that was what made their bond so strong.

Putting those thoughts to the back of his mind, Flik carried the drinks into the common room, set them down on the table and sat down in a chair next to Shiba. He brought his mug of steaming hot chocolate to his lips and took a careful sip, testing its temperature, before placing on the table in front of them. The children were occupied with a game of their own on the floor between the table and the holo vid projector.

The peace was interrupted by the appearance of Zan. "Hey guys, turn on the holo vid. It's about us," Zan said, as came through the door. Jeana, who was the nearest, did so, as the rest of the Ackley piled into the room.

A hologram, showing a young woman outside the prison they had sprung Shara from, appeared, spanning the width of the room.

"All we know about the Rebel terrorist group, the Ackley, is that they are being led by the Shistavanen bounty hunter, Flik Sivrak and his partner, Shiba Black, responsible for the death of the late Governor of Eriadu, Agar and for shooting up a Corellian children's home a year ago - "

"That was Boba Fett and a few other bounty hunters, not us," Shiba said. "And we paid to repair the damage."

"Intelligence on the woman, Shiba Black, has revealed that she was once a doctor of medicine and that she came from the planet, Alderaan. Do you, Director Isard, have any idea why such a person would turn to the Rebels?"

"I've head enough," Flik said, getting out of the chair and switching the holo vid off. He looked back at Shiba and saw that she was crying. Flik knelt down in front of her and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face and kissed her.

"I don't believe they blamed us for that - "

"We're Rebels, remember? They have to make us look bad," Flik caressed her hand.

Shiba looked into his dark lupine eyes and sniffed. She looped one arm around his neck.

"I know but can't they see who the real villain in this is really Palpatine?"

Flik yipped bitterly. Even the Jedi didn't see that until it was too late. Instead he said, "The truth will come out eventually."

"The big fleaball's right, Shiba. You should listen to him."

Flik looked up at Zan, his muzzle creased in a frown. "Did you just call me fleaball?" the wolfman asked, a low growl of irritation in his throat.

Zan's reply was interrupted as Trin entered the room. Trin turned the holonet projector back on. "Terrorist attacks like this clearly highlight the need to eliminate the Rebels and their non-human allies. This is Karli Savoyna for Imperial News signing off."

"Would you care to explain that to me, Sivrak? You know what would happen if they found out about our operation."

Flik stood up and locked gazes with Trin. The wolfman's full height was significantly larger than that of the pseudo Imperial. "Yeah, I know what'll happen. She knows what'll happen - " he pointed at Shiba, yipping bitterly. "Everyone in this room knows what the Empire is capable of, Trin, but I can't plan or be held responsible for every eventuality."

Trin took a step back. The wolfman could be pretty intimidating when his ire was provoked.

"Yeah, lay off him, boss. If it's anyone's fault, it's Intelligence for not realising a camera crew would be there when we hit," Cathos said in Flik's defence.

Seeing he could not win with the Ackley showing a united front, Trin backed down and tried to diffuse the situation.

"We'll have to evacuate the base over the next few days. It'll only be a matter of time before they find us, now. First, however, I have another mission. I've been called to Coruscant on business. Something's come up and I intend to find out what it is. Shiba, you'll be accompanying me as my bodyguard. Flik, I need you and the rest of your team as back up. Kaitlin, you're staying here helping Cresentina over see the preparations for the evacuation."

"When do we go?" Flik asked.

"Tomorrow. Enjoy the time with your wife while you can, Flik."

There was something in his words that made Shiba shudder. When he was gone, she turned to Flik and said, "He's really starting to creep me out, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. It look's like it might soon be time we found another employer, Shiba."

"If you do, I think there'll be plenty among the Ackley who would like to join you, Sivrak," Artea said. The other members of the Ackley present agreed with her.

***  
Shiba slipped on a light and simple night dress and stepped over to the window. It was a beautiful night, full of stars and if you focused on the sky, you could forget that the planet was facing an ecological disaster.

"The next world I'm going to is going to be a jungle world. I'm fed up of all of this durasteel and pollution."

Shiba turned round to find Flik standing there, his fur still damp from the 'fresher.

"Do you want to settle on a jungle world, Flik?" Shiba asked as Flik drew level with her at the window.

Flik took her hands in his. "Just one that ain't all city, you know? I hated Coruscant when I was growing up. I guess it's because I am a predator, deep down. I want to live somewhere natural."

"It's not because you're a predator, it's because of you being what you are: you want to be near life," Shiba stroked his cheek with her hand. They both knew what she meant by the words: "what you are". Even now they didn't talk about his Jedi heritage, not here. Neither of them completely trusted Trin: he was after all, playing the role of an Imperial. Neither of them knew where is true loyalties really laid. The only thing that they were sure of and that was the rest of the Ackley were genuine Rebels, as they had thought against the Empire before they became members of the Ackley. Flik's face took on a playful expression, one that he rarely used except when he was with the kids or alone with Shiba.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself tonight. You've become so serious of late."

"I'm only serious because I want to keep the others alive. Before, when it was just you and me, I didn't have the responsibility that I have now. I'm their leader and I can't fail them by getting them into something they can't get out of," he stepped away from her. "I could do with a drink. Would you like one, too?"

"I'll have hot chocolate again," Shiba answered.

While the wolfman was gone, the soft padded footfalls signalled the arrival of Grebe, a canine of an Alderaanian breed. It had a long muzzle, short, erect ears, a long body and a thick tail. It was brindled in colour and had a white belly and white tip to its tail. It had once been a very common breed on Alderaan, friendly and good with children, but a devoted guardian of its pack. Trin had found her on a visit to Coruscant and bought her from a breeder of rare animals, along with a male called Eyrie. Trin had given them to Shiba as a wedding gift. They had made Shiba both happy and sad because she'd had one while she was growing up and then another when she was married to her late husband, Chan. The dog had been with him on Alderaan when the planet had been destroyed. There were few things that had survived the planet's destruction and though when Shiba found something Alderaanian it had made her happy because it showed that not everything had been lost, it also saddened her because it also reminded her of what had been lost, too. It was similar to the feeling a biologist might have upon seeing the remains of an extinct creature, glad to know of its existence, but sad because it was no longer there.

Flik had been puzzled at first, because he'd never had a pet in his life - such things had been forbidden in the Jedi Order, as they led to attachment. Shiba, upon hearing this, wondered if anything had been allowed! After a couple of months, he'd gotten used to them and even liked them a little when Shiba told him that in the distant past they had been used as hunting dogs, but as that practice dwindled, the animals became a family pet, instead.

She was sat in one of the chairs opposite the bed and stroking Grebe's head when Flik re-entered the room with the mugs, followed by Eyrie.

"Making drinks twice in one day. I'm gonna have to mark this day on my calendar!"

"Funny," Flik said as he handed her one of the mugs and sat in the vacant chair.

"You know, I'd liked you to have seen Alderaan with me, you know, what it was like before it was destroyed."

"Maybe I could take you to see Uvena III. I've not been there for years, but I think you'd like it," the wolfman said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah," Shiba agreed, "If Trin gives us some time off."

"You'd love it. The main city is called Terhan. It's situated on the northern continent. There is a mountain range to the north, with a forest leading up to the slopes of the mountains and grassland to the south. To the west is the sea and some islands lie not far from the coast. After the Jedi Purge, I made my home on one of those islands. I did not want to be in the city. After living on Coruscant, I didn't want to be around too many people, or buildings and besides, the cities were crawling with Imperial troops. It would have been too risky to be any place I could be recognised. I was alone on the island, except for my mate and my son. The occasional Jedi visited us, but after a few years even that stopped. I expect that the survivors were in hiding, or that Vader had at last caught up with them. I stayed in touch with my sister, who never became a Jedi proper, even though she had the potential and I did teach her some tricks, and she had two children, a dog and a lupa, when they were old enough I was going to bring them back to the island and teach them the ways of the Jedi. The locals often wondered what we did alone on the island, like people usually do, but they weren't afraid of us. It was like they knew that I was there to protect them.

"After the Jedi stopped coming, I knew something was wrong. I went to the mainland and found the place more infested with Imperials than I had originally thought. On my second trip to the mainland, I took Tek with me and we did a little investigating. We met Cherys, whom I assume to be Zek's mother. It was risky business, because although we had been safe until then, asking about Jedi could reveal who we were and put Tek's mother in danger. All of the Jedi I knew to have survived the Purge were dead, except for Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom I could find no news of, and my father. I checked on my sister and found her well, even though I'd not heard from her for sometime.

"Tek was a teenager at that time, a little older than the Omwatti boy is now. I took a job as an Imperial Scout to cover up what I was really trying to do, find my fellow Jedi. Yoda, I never found, but I tracked Obi-Wan Kenobi to the planet Tattoine.

"He gave me a cold reception at first, because I'd broken my commitment to the Jedi Order, but when he learnt what I was doing, he put that to one side. For years, he had thought only himself and Yoda to be the only Jedi left alive and it was from him I learnt what had happened; that Anakin Skywalker had betrayed the Order and turned to the darkside. He told me that he was overseeing the future of the Order, but I said to keep the details to himself, for if Tek I were to be captured, it would be best for us to know nothing of his plans. Tek was in Mos Eisley while I was visiting Kenobi, with Cherys, and probably a good thing that he was...

"It wasn't long afterwards that Vader caught up with my father and destroyed him. Tek had learnt enough of the Empire's tyranny from Cherys and after the death of his grandfather, he went to confront Vader and Palpatine - "

"I know the rest," Shiba cut him off. She knew it was as painful a subject to him as Alderaan's destruction was to her. "I guess you want to kill Vader now."

Flik shook his head. "Vader is as much a victim in all of this as your husband, as we all have been. I know who Vader was before he was turned. He was a good man, one of the most annoyingly idealistic ones I've known. Vader maybe my greatest nemesis apart from Palpatine himself, but he was also one of my greatest friends."

"Even after the destroying Alderaan, you really think he's your friend?"

Flik tried to make light of the situation, but as soon as he said it, he regretted it. "The destruction of Alderaan led me to you, didn't it? You led me to my grandson. I don't condone what he did to your homeworld, but sometimes things happen for a reason, the will of the Force. I don't like it, but sometimes, it's necessary."

"You've thought of this a lot, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Don't speak to me of it. It frightens me! The will of the Force! It asks for too much!"

"I'm sorry, Shiba. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to find something positive about what's happened. If we don't, it will be our destruction."

"I know, Flik."

"Your sister, what happened to her? You've not spoken of her until now."

"It was about six months before Alderaan...I'd been having these visions, dreams warning me of some terrible occurrence about to happen. I went to my sister's home and found it ransacked. She was dead, I assumed, even though I found no body. Her mate was dead, too. There were Stormtroopers around, so I knew the Empire was involved, but I found no trace of my sister's children. They were gone. I searched for them, thinking that the Empire had taken them, but I didn't find any trace of them, even there, nor of my sister. I can only hope that she escaped with them, but as we have seen, the Empire is not averse to doing terrible things to children of non-human species. It would have been worse for them if they found out they had any connection to the Jedi."

"That's terrible."

"I should have sought them out after what happened with Tek, but I had a hard time getting Vader off my tail. I would have put them in greater danger if I'd sought them..."

They sat in silence for a while, contemplating on their fate.

"Be weary of the Emperor, Shiba. Don't trust him. I wish I was going with you so I could keep you safe, but I can't. This is something you must face alone. No matter what happens, I love you, Shiba."

He kissed her gently, lovingly, once again they had found comfort in each other's love. The forthcoming danger was forgotten as they drew strength and courage from each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Flik gave Kaitlin the access code to his ship, the Forgotten Warrior. The small Shistavanen Scout ship was well known to Coruscant security so he would be piloting one of Trin's ships. Kaitlin herself was a good pilot, in spite of her youth and knew the controls of the Warrior well since he'd let her fly the craft a few times just for a situation like this. Flik was still trying to think of a way to tell her that she had the potential to be a Jedi and he wanted to teach her how to use the Force. He was reluctant to do so because telling her could scare her off, as the legacy of deceit that surrounded the last days of the Old Republic regarding the Jedi still ran deep, even among those who would have once supported them, and so for the moment, he was in the process of building up her trust of him. Even without realising it, he had already built the foundations of their relationship, a teacher and pupil one. He felt a wave of pride emanating from her and knew that he could trust her with his ship.

"Be ready to leave if there is any trouble. You might not think that the task I have given you is all that important, but it is far more critical than you could realise, and not just because I am trusting you with the safety of my family. Shara will be staying behind to help you."

His words compelled her to kiss his cheek. She had to stand on her tip-toes to reach him because she was shorter than Shiba. A warm glow spread through Flik's body. It was unlike Shiba's kiss, trusting and friendly, but lacking her passion that rested just below the surface. He realised then that he cared for her, not in the same way he did for Shiba, it was more like the way he had cared for Tek's mate.

"Be careful, Flik," she said.

"Don't worry about us. We're big enough and daft enough to take care of ourselves. Trin has told me that we will be going to Sullest after resolving our business on Coruscant. If anything happens that comprises security here, head there and we'll rendezvous there."

"We will."

Flik moved away to say goodbye to Shiba. She was clad in the familiar black flight suit that she had worn during their time as bounty hunters, her hair was bound in a tight braid and piled on her head, in the style of Alderaanian women. To disguise her identity, she had used colour creepers in her hair to mask its natural colour and had used cosmetics the colour of silver on her nails, lips and eye lids. The only other thing she wore was the rings Flik had given her when he'd proposed, and the one that signified their marriage.

"You look exotic," the wolfman said.

"I'll miss you, Flik," she murmured, taking his hand in her own.

"Remember what I said last night - "

Shiba let go of his hand and slipped off one of the rings. She pressed it into his palm and curled his fingers around it.

"Look after it for me."

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Take it," Shiba said. "Give it back to me when next we meet."

Flik uncurled his fingers and looked at the ring as though he wouldn't see her again. When she had taken off the one Chan had given her at their wedding, it had been forever. She knew what he was thinking. "This is not goodbye, Flik. It's just insurance, that's all."

"Insurance?" he asked her.

"Of course. It'll give me extra incentive to get back to you." She squeezed his arm.

Flik still stared at the ring. It was far too small to fit on any of his fingers. He put the ring in his inside pocket, where it would be safe. His gaze flicked back to her.

"I've got your promise now, that you'll get back to me?"

"Yeah, of course," she kissed him. "Bye Flik."

He returned the kiss. "Bye," he said.

He turned from her and spotted Zan talking to Kaitlin. Irritation rose inside him, Zan was supposed to be on board the ship, and he also wanted to put a stop to his pursuit of Kaitlin - he'd promised her family that he would look out for her and that included discouragement of irresponsible young men. He considered shouting a Shistavanen curse at him, but he saw Trin entering the hanger bay with his entourage.

"Come on, Zan. We ain't got all day!" Flik barked as he reached the bottom of the boarding ramp. He didn't stop to see if Zan heeded his command.

It took only a few moments before he reached the cockpit of the marauder corvette that the Ackley would be taking to Coruscant. Artea Fen was already in the co-pilot's seat when he arrived. Flik heaved himself into the empty seat next to the cathor. "I swear one of these days that kid'll be left behind!"

"He only does it to irritate you," Artea answered.

"More than likely," the wolfman snorted, wishing for the first time in more than twenty years that he was in command of a squad of clone troopers, rather then the motley crew he now had, but that was more than a lifetime ago.

He stared at the unfamiliar controls. "I'd prefer to be flying the Warrior," he said, looking out the veiwport at his ship. Shiba was visible in front of the Warrior and Artea wasn't sure if he was referring to Shiba or the ship when he said, "I'm missing her already."

"At least you have me for company, Captain," Artea said.

Flik glanced across at her.

"It's not the same, Artea," Flik said as he turned to look out the veiwport again and sighed wistfully. He unconsciously reached inside his jacket pocket and took out Shiba's ring. He twisted it around in his fingers and thought of her. He closed his eyes and visions of what they had gone the night before flashed through his mind's eye.

"Hey fleaball, time to go," Zan said, poking his head into the cockpit. "We ain't got all day, ya know!"

There were times when Zan could be so tiresome.

He opened up the internal com. "Sholinar, if Zan enters the cockpit again, will you toss him out of the airlock?"

Flik was answered by guffaws of Wookiee laughter. He said to Zan, "I'm serious!"

Flik shook his head to clear it and concentrate on the moment. They were departing before Trin and Shiba because they had to make a series of jumps to disguise their point of origin and it would take longer than Trin and Shiba's more direct route. He put the ring back into his pocket and said goodbye to Shiba again in his mind.

Looking out the cockpit again, he saw Shiba and Kaitlin wave at them before moving aside as the hanger bay doors cracked open and they left.

***  
Shiba was alone with Trin in the passenger compartment of the Imperial Shuttle. She didn't really trust him, not after it turned out that he was in fact, the brother of a man she and Flik had killed during their last commission as bounty hunters. She always felt that he always had an alternative agenda. She sometimes caught him looking at her the same way his brother had when she had gone to apprehend him. Being a beautiful woman, Shiba was aware that most men were attracted to her. The ones she had hunted had died for it. Her time as a bounty hunter was a part of her life that she was not proud of, for she had gone against everything she believed in, almost everything. Yet if she had the chance to do that time over again, she'd still have made the same decisions: she'd never have had Flik if she'd not gone down that path, and she and Flik had accomplished some good things, even if the means by which they did them sometimes were questionable.

To distract herself from Trin's leer, she busied herself checking her weapons for the tenth time since their trip had begun so she would not have to look at Trin. She thrust the blaster back into its holster and stared at the bulkhead in front of her.

"Some people would think you were anxious about something, cleaning the blaster over again," Trin said. "Are you nervous about the mission?"

Shiba flashed him a smile, one that she had used to intimidate the fugitives she and Flik had pursued, or other bounty hunters. "Not at all. Why should a trip to Imperial Centre make me nervous?"

"Maybe it's something else, then," Trin said, misreading her. "It's being alone with me you're nervous about -"

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she felt him sit down beside her. "You know, I've looked forward to this for a long time," he said in her ear, his voice low.

Shiba wished that Flik was with her. They usually did this sort of work together when they acted as Trin's body guards. Over the past few months, Shiba had become increasingly aware of the tension between them and had avoided being near Trin as much as possible. If it hadn't been the need for a secure place for the children, she was sure that she and Flik would have left Eriadu a lot sooner. Shiba decided to put on her best voice of intimidation, one that she had used frequently during her time as a bounty hunter.

"I bet you have."

"You know, Shiba, you are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I've wanted you the moment I saw you fight in the arena."

He just didn't seem to take the hint, as Shiba, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the situation, got to her feet and backed away from him. Still trying to keep her composure of tough bounty hunter, Shiba said, "A lot of men have said that. Most are dead."

"I notice you aren't wearing your ring. Why would a beautiful woman like yourself want to be with someone like Flik. You could have had any man you choose, why an alien? I mean, I could understand if it was a near human-alien, or a Twi'lek, but why something so -"

"You don't have to look like a monster to be one," came Shiba's reply. "And not everything that looks like it should be a monster is. Humans destroyed my homeworld, Trin, not Flik or his kind."

"That depends on what you mean by 'his kind,' Shiba. I've looked things up. I know what Flik was before he abandoned them. Darth Vader has similar powers -"

"Vader is a Sith Lord, Trin. He is nothing like my husband."

"I apologise if I offend you, Shiba."

He reached forward to grab her.

Shiba caught his hand in her iron grip. "Don't! The reason I married Flik is because I love him and he loves me. I've known a lot of men, and let me say this: apart from Flik and my late husband Chan, none of them desired my company because of my intelligence. I don't welcome your advances, I don't care for you that way and I never will. You might not be the same kind of creep your brother was, but you're still a creep. Now back off before I do something to you you're going to regret!" She pulled a vibroblade on him. The sharp point sank into his neck, just deep enough to draw blood without causing further harm. It had happened so fast that he didn't notice it until it was up against his throat. "On Alderaan I was trained to be a doctor, a healer, a saver of lives. Flik taught me how to fight and kill. Now, you don't want to push me."

She removed the vibroblade from his throat and said quietly, "I'm staying faithful to Flik as I know he does with me. Cresentina is carrying your child. How could you even think of trying a stunt like this when she's in that state?" Shiba gave him a hard, sharp slap across the face before moving to another part of the cabin.

***  
Shiba and Trin arrived on Coruscant twelve hours later, of which Shiba was glad to finally be out of the ship. She had been thinking on the long trip and thought that perhaps it really was time to move on. There was no question of staying at the base on Eriadu any longer. Perhaps the Ackley could apply for a transfer elsewhere.

After a check through security, they were escorted to the Imperial Palace, to the room that had served as the Senate Chamber, not the one that had been used during the days of the Old Republic, but the one that had been used by the Imperial Senate, before Palpatine's forced disolvement of what had remained of democracy.

Already seated around the table were twenty Governors and Moffs of the main sectors under the Empire's thumb. Most, if not all, were human and male, though there was one exception: a male Shistavanen.

This would be interesting, it seemed, Shiba thought as she and Trin took up their positions, Trin sat in his place at the table, with Shiba standing behind him. There was a nervous tension in the room and not even the wolfman got the looks of disgust that he normally would have gotten in the xenophobic Empire. Shiba got the feeling that something unusual was afoot, but she was at a loss to guess what that was.

After several long moments, the Emperor entered, accompanied by his scarlet guards. Even without being sensitive to the Force, Shiba could feel the darkness surrounding the former Senator from Naboo. Monsters come in many guises, she thought, echoing her earlier words to Trin. At seeing the man responsible for so much suffering and despair in the galaxy, Shiba finally knew that what Flik had told her had been the truth.

At first glance, he looked nothing more than a shrivelled and frail old man, but that came from the darkness of his heart, not from the age of his body, and she had learnt from her time with Flik not to trust first impressions. The Imperials, including the wolfman, stood up and respectively waited for him to take his seat before taking to their seats again.

After every Governor and Moff were seated, Palpatine began to speak, his voice sounding as old and gravely as his body looked.

"I have called you here because we are on the verge of crushing the Rebellion once and for all," he gestured to a man dressed in a scientist's white lab coat who had accompanied the Emperor, but whom everyone had failed to notice as their attention was on Palpatine. "Dr Lemlisk, if you please."

Lemlisk circled the table until he came to the controls for the holoprojector and slipped a data disc inside before he turned it on. The next few seconds caused Shiba to forget the vileness of the dark hearted Emperor as an image even more horrible materialised before her eyes.

The ghostly image of a Death Star hovered above the table. Shiba's time as a bounty hunter was the only thing that saved her composure when she saw the holo that would be the successor of the super-weapon that had destroyed her homeworld.

Shades of Alderaan!

Her hand drifted unconsciously to the blaster holstered at her hip, as if she could take up the weapon and destroy the annihilator of worlds - but common sense surfaced and she masked the movement by nervously rubbing her hands together.

"After analysing the weaknesses on the first Death Star, I redesigned it so that it will now be impenetrable by enemy weapons once completed. Once completed, it will be bigger and more powerful than the original, and will be the most powerful weapon ever created by the hand of man the galaxy has ever seen!" He rambled on enthusiastically about the technical capabilities of the super-weapon.

The next twenty minutes were a blur for Shiba and she didn't take any of it in. Painful memories came flooding unbidden back to her and she relived them in her mind. She wanted to scream. There must be no more Alderaans!

Unconsciously once again, her hand drifted to her blaster.

She wanted to kill this vile, evil old man and the scientist who had been responsible for the destruction of her homeworld. Hate and rage that she had bottled up since her homeworld's destruction boiled to the surface, hot and uncontrollable.

She fought for control of her emotions. She knew that if she lost it now, then she was dead and there was nothing she could do to stop more worlds suffering Alderaan's fate.

***  
Flik and the other members of the Ackley were in a cantina as near to the Imperial Palace as they could get, which was no easy task, for aliens, unless they happened to be minions of the Empire, or associated with underground organisations like Black Sun, rarely left the pusedo sanctuary known as the Invisible Sector on Coruscant, or as the Imperials called it, Imperial Centre. What had made their task of getting this close to the Imperial Palace was also due to the fact that movement of non-humans around that sector was even more restricted than else where.

The cantina was vastly different from the ones Flik had grown used to since the fall of the Old Republic. Instead of being dark, dank and unhygienic, it was light and sterile, but it lacked the stylish decor and trendiness that such cantinas and nightclubs would have possessed in the days when Flik frequented them. It had been replaced by the stark loss of personality that was more at home on board the Imperial Star Destroyers of the Empire's fleet. It didn't have the usual mix of aliens either, which had once been present during the days of the Old Republic.

Most of the cantina's patrons were humans, ranging from the lower middle class that supplied the drones for the low levels of government administration to those higher up. In short, they were the desk jockeys that were only bothered about keeping the supply of credits coming their way and the avoidance of incurring the wrath that would take them, and more away from them. Flik knew the type well, for they had risen to their positions during the Clone Wars. They were the ones that looked down on those less fortunate than themselves and exploited them to keep themselves where they were. They did it without realising that it they themselves who were the real trash because they failed or more like refused, to notice the suffering around them because they knew that to do so would mean loss of their position. They were quite happy to back stab their colleagues just to climb higher up the ladder. Ironically, they were essential for the "healthy" functioning of society. However, they didn't have it all for nothing, for even those lower than themselves could take away their position if they so wanted to, so most pretended to care about the lower classes, when they didn't.

Occasionally, there were those who really did care about the masses, but most of those were imprisoned as traitors by the Empire, forced into becoming outlaws, or like Bail Organa of Alderaan, had been killed by whatever means the Empire could get away with. As such, anyone in a position of power left with the ideals of those who formed the Rebel Alliance and still in the Empire, were rarer than the extinct Honogorian Stava.

Aside from the civil war, the price for peace at the end of the Clone Wars had been the cost of the galaxy's soul and the death of diversity.

Flik felt more uncomfortable than he would have had he been sat on a nest of piranha beetles.

The only aliens in the crowd besides Flik's companions, were the more human-like ones and therefore fitted into the crowd more easily. A quick look around confirmed that Flik was the only Shistavanen in the whole place. He knew he stuck out like a sore thumb, as did the Cathor, Gotal and the Wookiee, but it was Kobrossk who caught the most stares. Flik could clearly tell by his body language that he was beginning to get agitated and looked like he would tear the next person who stared at him into tiny pieces.

The wolfman was beginning to think that coming in here was a bad idea, but it was the only place that they could wait without drawing more attention to themselves than they already were.

Out of them all, Zan seemed to draw less attention to himself, but not for want of trying! Zan was trying to chat up a pretty young woman about nineteen years of age a couple of tables away. He, in his scruffy looking overalls with grease and the Force knows what else splattered all over them was clearly out of place. She was not impressed, and Zan, finally decided he was getting nowhere, gave up and joined the others at the table. That wasn't his only motivation - a security guard had clocked his number and was almost ready to come over and sort it out himself. The young lady was someone more important than Zan had realised...

"I can't see why you bothered," Artea admonished him, taking a sip of the non-alcoholic drink Flik had insisted on them ordering, not that he couldn't trust them, but Zan was hardly the responsible type, so he decided not to have the temptation there. "It was obvious she wasn't interested in you."

"That's bantha poodoo. When I turn on my charm - "

"All the women within a thousand light year radius stampede to get away from him," Artea said finished for him.

"You can't fool a Gotal, my friend. She would rather have kissed the Trandoshan here," Cathos said, before Zan could come up with a suitable retort.

Sholinar laughed.

"I don't think Kaitlin will be very pleased when she learns you've been talking to other women," Artea said.

"You'd better what yourself, then Artea, but then I suppose you don't count - "

Suddenly angry, Artea hissed and her hackles raised.

Flik set his glass down on the table with a bang that would have shattered it if it had been made of weaker materials, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Can we get back to the task at hand, people? We're not here to debate Zan's appeal to the opposite sex," he growled softly, so the other patrons wouldn't hear him. He was annoyed.

Zan looked at him with a hurt expression. "Did anyone ever tell you you're no fun, Fleaball?" he asked.

"That's funny. I've never had any complaints from Shiba - "

Zan's look of expiation turned to triumph as he said, "Got you there, Fleaball."

"I'd shoot you, but I don't what to have to do the paperwork," Flik said, taking a swig of what was left of his drink.

"Permission for me to shoot him, sir?" Artea asked.

Flik shook his head. "I don't think that would be necessary, Ms Fen - "

Zan grinned at the wolfman, that annoying, smug grin he used when he wanted to rub Trin up the wrong way. Zan was just about to make some witty retort - or witless, depending on your opinion - but was interrupted by the appearance of the local cantina brawlers.

"If you have a problem with these freaks, we could take care of it," the one in the middle, who seemed to be the leader, said.

"Freaks? Did he just call us freaks?" Kobrossk spoke for the first time since they'd sat down at their table.

Sholinar roared a challenge.

Flik shook his head. Thugs are thugs are thugs - no matter what guise they come in, or what cantina they frequent.

"You said it, Sholinar," the wolfman turned his lupine head and stared at the three thugs fixedly. "Are you going to take back that insult, or do I let the Wookiee tear you apart?" Flik reached under the table and his fingers curled around the handle of his blaster, ready to fight if the occasion called for it. It was a dangerous game, now, and it looked like these fools were just about to blow their cover. "Then again, I might just choose to blast your brains out."

"I'm sure violence isn't necessary," Artea purred, trying to diffuse the situation. "I like you."

She drew closer to the man who'd spoken, but he pulled out a vibroblade on her. Reacting quickly, Flik shot him in the wrist and the vibroblade clattered to the floor.

"I suggest that you crawl back into your hole. Next shot'll fry your minuscule brain cell."

A year ago, Flik would have killed for their insolence. Now, he didn't think such amateurs were worth spitting on. It was, he surmised, better to save your power cell for a worthy opponent than to squander it. His hesitation was also due to the fact he'd been working on controlling his anger. He couldn't just go around killing everyone who had the audacity to annoy him. If he was going to take up being a Jedi again, then he would have to control it or be lured to the darkside. He didn't really believe that there was a dark or light side to the Force in nature, it just existed. It was how you used it that counted. If you used it in fear, anger, hate or aggression, you hurt people. Since the loss of his family, he had fought hard against the darkside of his personality.

Sometimes, he found it easier to give into that, but like animal predators, he couldn't kill indiscriminately. It was natural for him to be violent, because it was in his nature, but like the wolf, that savagery was not the only part of his nature. He was a hunter, true, but with that came a better understanding. He, like the wolf his species was named after, formed strong social bonds with his family, whether that family was related by blood, the Old Jedi Order, or those in the Ackley. Being in a pack was natural to him, it had been something that had determined his actions even when he was a Jedi Knight all those years ago. Like a lone wolf that had lost its pack, or chosen to find a new one, he had been searching for another, even through his years as a bounty hunter. He'd found Shiba, though their species were different, they'd had similar motives, wants and needs, and both had had their family taken away from them. When they had found each other, it had taken them a while to realise what they had and as with most things, it is difficult to see what's right in front of you until it is threatened. 

He knew that he had upset her the other night, that what he had said implied that Chan, her husband, had to die for them to find each other and for Flik to find Zak. He had not meant it to come out sounding so callous and had berated himself ever since. He'd never meant to have been so insensitive and realised that he could be a real oaf at times.

It was at that moment that he sensed her agonising scream of anger. The feelings were so powerful that instinctively reached out with the Force and tried to get the words, I am here my love, don't be afraid, to her, but he realised that she wasn't sensitive to the Force.

He activated the implant they'd used to communicate secret information during their time as bounty hunters and repeated the message. He looked around at the others and said, "It is time we left this place."

***  
“I am here, my love. Don’t be afraid.”

It was Flik’s voice, coming through the implant. The little demonstration of the new Death Star had now come to an end and Shiba was getting ready for her part in the proceedings, but the Emperor’s next words made her blood run icy cold, if the prospect of a new Death Star hadn’t been enough. 

“There is also another reason I have called you all here. I have known for some time that there are traitors amongst you, traitors that deal with the Rebel scum that threaten the security of the Empire, and those that do not enforce Imperial law. The question was, who among you is the traitor that that would plot against me with the Rebels?” All eyes around the table, including Trin’s, all looked at the Shistavanen representative. In the company of a non-Force sensitive, perhaps Trin’s cool exterior and body language would have fooled them, but Shiba knew from her time with Flik that experienced Force-sensitves would pick up on the feelings boiling just below the surface, even if they maintained a vestige of calm. Guilt coursed through her veins – had she been the one to give them away? She looked straight ahead, now, trying to plug the leak in a dam that had already been breached.

“Now, however – “ the Emperor continued, “ – with you all being in my presence, I now know who they are.” He raised his arms as he spoke and spread out his hands, directing Force-lightening at Trin. “At this very moment, the Governor’s Palace on Eriadu is being pacified.”

Shiba reacted quickly with the grace and agility that almost matched the Jedi of old, she leapt over the table and took out Lemlisk. She’d only knocked him unconscious, but that would have to serve as payback for the destruction of Alderaan for now. She pulled the data disc out of the holoprojector and dropped it inside the neckline of her flight suit. Taking a quick glance around she noticed that all the Governors had taken flight, leaving her, the wolfman, Trin, the scarlet guards and the unconscious scientist in the Senate Chamber with Palpatine. One of the Imperial Guards rushed her. She dodged his Force pike and shot him with her blaster. Another Scarlet Guard came at her from behind and the wolfman killed him with a wicked looking vibrosword that cut through the guard’s armour like a meat cleaver. 

“Come on, this way,” he said.

She was reluctant to leave Trin. Even though he was a bona fide creep, and she didn’t really like him, she had a duty to protect him. He lay slumped on the floor, the Emperor still had him in the Force-lightening. Though she would have loved to take a shot at the Emperor, the information she was carrying was far more important than revenge. Besides, she doubted that she would get out alive even if she did succeed in killing him. There was nothing she could do for Trin. Not even a dip in a bacta tank could save him now. Without a word, she followed the wolfman out of the chamber. Some how, she knew that the other traitor would be him.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she trailed him down the corridor.

“Who are you, anyway?” she asked.

“I am the Alpha Premier of the Archetypes and Prince Rivik, ruler of the Uvena System until a descendent of Senator Mizet is found. Though now I’ve probably just been made an out law, just like her.” 

The way he said the word Ruler made Shiba suspect that it was ruler in name-only. The real power on most worlds under the Empire was reserved for the Governors and Moffs appointed by Palpatine himself. His response raised more questions that it answered, but now was hardly the time to get distracted.

“Shiba Black,” she informed him of her name simply, just before they turned the bend in the corridor.

They rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a squad of Stormtroopers that blocked the corridor ahead of them. Fortunately, the bend in the corridor offered them some protection. 

It look’s like I’ve really got myself in the bantha poodoo this time, Shiba thought. 

She snapped off a couple of blaster shots round the bend at the Stormtroopers, before taking cover behind the bend again. She switched on the comlink implant. 

“Flik, it’s a trap. Trin’s dead and I’m pinned down somewhere in the Imperial Palace.”

“I read you Shiba. I’m on my way.”

“We can’t stay here,” Rivik said, exchanging blaster fire with the Stormtroopers. 

“I know,” Shiba said, wishing that Flik was there to deflect the shots with his lightsabre, as he had done when they rescued Shara from the prison. The longer the Stormtroopers had them pinned down, the more time reinforcements had to gain their position. This was one situation where Shiba seriously doubted that she would get out of.

She quickly evaluated the corridor for an escape root.

“Think you can make it to that door over there?” 

She reached inside a boot and pulled out a small, light-weight disruptor pistol, as Rivik gave his answer in the positive. She aimed and fired the pistol, turning the door into black ash. They made the dash to the doorway together. Shiba avoided being hit, but Rivik, who was slightly slower, took a shot in the shoulder. She heard him grunt in pain. 

“You ok?” she asked him. “I’ll fix it up when we get out of this place.”

The room they had blundered into was some sort of administration office. A woman of about forty years old stood staring at them, her face one of pure shock. She dropped the file she was holding papers spilled to the floor.

“You can’t come in here. This is a restricted area,” a man, about the same age as the woman advanced upon them. Rivik pushed his blaster in the man’s face. “This says otherwise,” he growled. Sometimes looking like a slobbering beast has its advantages, Shiba thought.

“A squad of Stormtroopers will be coming in here any minute. I suggest you all find some cover,” Shiba said, looking at the window. Her disruptor was overheated – that was the problem with having a small one, even if it could be concealed more easily. 

“Rivik, do you think you can smash that window?” she asked.

In answer, the wolfman pushed a desk, complete with computer equipment, straight at the window, shattering it in a thousand pieces. 

The man was about to voice his objection, but a snarl from Rivik made him keep his peace. Shiba snorted. 

She stepped on to the ledge of the window, Rivik following her a second later. A Stormtrooper poked his head out of the window and Rivik pulled him out and let him fall to his death. They dispatched the rest of the squad the same way before inching along to the next window. Rivik kept a look out while Shiba searched for her grappling hook and climbing cable. It was a device that kept in a gun-like structure and could be fired. She had several of these on her. 

Once she found it, she fired the grappling hook so that it lodged into the ledge above and she climbed down the cable. It reached one level down from the ledge they were stood on and once she reached the ledge one floor below, she waited for Rivik to join her. Only the adrenaline kept her from freezing up at such a height. Rivik was heavier than Shiba, and his weight caused the grappling hook to slip towards the edge of the ledge it was resting on as he descended. It finally gave way when he was a few centimetres from the ledge where Shiba waited. He caught hold of the ledge at the last second, causing pain to stab through his injured shoulder. If it hadn’t been for Shiba, he would have plummeted to the surface of the planet, kilometres into the darkness below. Shiba grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him up onto the ledge. Fortunately, there was just enough room for her to get some leverage. Rivik used his good arm to help pull himself up so that he lay on his stomach on the ledge. Shiba made herself as small as she could to give him room to get back onto his feet. His strength and dexterity suggested to Shiba that he was no stranger to a fight, and for that she was glad. They might have a chance of getting out of this mess after  
all.

She fired the disrupter to clear away the transparisteel of the building window opposite them and fired another grappling hook at the opposite ledge. It lodged into the side of the window frame. Shiba secured the end of cable to wall above them. Rivik guessed what she had in mind.

“Climb on to my back,” he said. Shiba looped her arms around his shoulders and the wolfman, using his vibrosword, kicked off the ledge and they slid down the cable. 

They fell through the window into what was fortunately, an empty office. Shiba picked herself up off the Shistavanen and had a look around. 

She saw an open locker with an Imperial uniform inside it, just the right size for her. She turned to Rivik. “Act like you’re my aide.”

Once she’d changed, they exited the building and stepped out into the Grand Corridor.


	4. Chapter 4

Back on Eriadu, Shivron was idly watching the holonet transceiver transmissions to pass the time. The three children were sat on the floor, Chan occupied with some colourful building blocks, while Zak and Jeana took turns on trying to beat each other’s score on a portable electronic game., just built in the right proportions for their small hands. At the moment, it was Zak’s turn, so Jeana glanced at the holoprogramme that Shivron was engrossed in. 

The two Alderaanian dogs belonging to Jeana’s mother were dozing, their furry bodies pressed against each other, the male’s head resting on the female’s shoulders. Kaitlin, still a little annoyed at being left behind, was fixing a meal for the children.

Shivron muttered a curse when the programme was suddenly cut off and a news report broke in to take its place. 

“This is Karli Savoyna reporting from what appears to be a terrorist attack at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. There have been reports of an assassination attempt on the Emperor by the Rebel terrorist group, the Ackley and Alpha Premier Rivik has been deemed a traitor. The warrant for his arrest was issued only moments ago by the Emperor himself after the execution of Trin Agar, Governor of the Outer Rim Territories – “

“Kat, come and look at this!” Shivron called. Kaitlin paused in her task to see what Shivron wanted and looked at the holo projection of the reporter. The holocam panned away from her to focus on the two figures of Shiba and a strange wolfman emerging from a tower window.

“That’s mummy!” Jeana said.

“This is not good!” Kat said, as she moved to turn the transceiver off.

She turned to Shivron. “Go get Cresentina and Shara.”

“But – “

“Just do it, Shivron. They could come down on us at any minute. We’ve got to get out of here,” Kaitlin said as she scooped up Chan into her arms. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Though she couldn’t explain it, Kaitlin had been feeling strange ever since Flik and the others had left for Coruscant. Her anxiety levels had been building up and now threatened to overwhelm her emotions but the coolness she’d perfected during her time as a thief had kept that in check, up to now, at least. Kat had always had that feeling when something bad was going to happen, like the time the Imperials had come to evict her parents from the farm on Chandrilla, or the time Shivron’s parents had been murdered by Stormtroopers. Still, a small part of her had figured it was just worry for her friends, but now she knew that her fears had not been unfounded.

Shivron stood and went to find Shara and Cresentina, while Kaitlin took Zak and Jeana to the waiting Forgotten Warrior. Zak was glad that that their game was interrupted because Jeana had beaten his score every time. 

The two children followed her on short, podgy legs. Zak had felt the danger too, and that had been distracting him from the game. He slipped his hand into Jeana’s, his other still clutching the electronic game.

“Come on, Jeya,” Zak said. Jeana, sensing his tension and that of the adults’ was too frightened to reply.

Kaitlin’s hand closed around Jeana’s free hand so that they wouldn’t get separated. The two dogs sprung to sudden alertness and bounded ahead of them. They danced on their front paws when they reached the turbolift, waiting for Kaitlin and the children to catch up.

“Stay close kids,” Kaitlin said as she relinquished her grip on Jeana’s hand to slap the button to call the turbolift. When she checked on the children, Zak and Jeana were gone. Shara appeared around the corner just as the turbolift doors slid open. Kaitlin handed Chan over to the Bothan and gave her the access code to the ship.

“Take Chan and if I’m not at the Warrior with the kids, Shivron and Cresentina in fifteen minutes, go without us. We’ll get out some other way. Attack on the Palace is only a matter of time.”

Just as she spoke, alarm klaxons began to sound throughout the Palace.

“Scratch that! They’re here already!”

“Hurry Kaitlin Ros.”

The dogs wanted to stay with Kaitlin, but she made them go with Shara. Just what were those kids trying to pull, running off like that? By the time she reached Flik’s quarters, the situation had deteriorated as the smell of smoke reached her nostrils: the Palace was on fire!

“Zak! Jeana!” Kaitlin desperately called. “Where are you?”

***  
It didn’t take long for Shivron to find Cresentina. She didn’t look well and doubled over in pain as he got to her. He caught her with his good arm and she leaned against him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“The baby – I think it’s coming. It’s too early – “

“Come on. I have to get you out of here.”

Sounds of the attack on the Palace could be heard.

“I can’t,” Cresentina gasped. “Save yourself, Shivron.”

Shivron shook his head. His Pearle scent feathers shone and shimmered as the light from the overhead illumination caught it. “I’m not leaving you, Cresentina. You have to move, for the sake of your child. The Imps have already killed Trin.”

Cresentina gave in and let him help her, if not for her own sake, but that of her child. Their pace was slow partly because of Cresentina’s pain and partly because smoke from the raging fire was reaching them, making them choke and he couldn’t see. He navigated using the same instinct he would in the dark in a place he knew well. They got to the turbolift and coughing because of smoke filled lungs, Shivron knocked the calling button with the elbow of his injured arm.

***  
Shara waited in the pilot’s seat of the Forgotten Warrior. Time was ticking away. Kaitlin and Shivron only had five minutes to get to the ship before she would have to lift off. Chan was locked in the cabin Flik and Shiba had used for sleeping and the dogs she had shut up in one of the cells they’d used to contain prisoners during their time as bounty hunters. There was only one other cabin. The ship was small and was not intended for more than two or three people, but it looked like that was being put to the test. She had powered up the ship and had had to deal with its AI, Lobo, before it would allow her access to the ship’s functions. That had taken quite some time, and she was sure that more than fifteen minutes had passed, but she had to give them as much chance to escape as she could.

***  
Shivron entered the turbolift. Cresentina collapsed on to the floor and he had only enough strength left in him to hit the button for the hanger bay before he too sank to the floor of the turbolift. He tried to catch his breath by breathing deeply, but it only made him cough and weakened him even more. He used the minute or so that it took for the lift to descend to regain his composure before he left the turbolift. He heaved the unconscious form of Cresentina up as best he could, wishing for the first time since the accident that he had taken up Shiba’s offer of giving him a prosthetic arm. He stumbled his way over to the Forgotten Warrior. Shara saw them from the veiwport and went out to help them.

“Have you seen Kaitlin and the kids?” she asked him.

Shivron shook his head weakly. “I thought they’d be with you.”

“They were heading down here but Zak and Jeana ran off. Kaitlin went back for them.”

They boarded the Warrior and settled Cresentina in the medical bay. Shara checked the time and found that the fifteen minutes were up.

“We’ll wait another five minutes, but then we will have to go,” Shara decided.

***  
Kaitlin looked everywhere in the lounge and adjoining kitchen where two small children could hide. The smoke was becoming increasingly thick and she gave up calling for them in favour of saving her breath. She found no trace of them and moved on to Flik and Shiba’s bedroom, checking the wardrobe, under the bed and in the covers. Nowhere. She moved on to the ‘fresher unit but they weren’t there either. She was becoming increasingly worried and in a panic, checked the balcony. It was a silly move, really, because there was nowhere for even a womp rat to hide there. She berated herself for wasting valuable time before moving on to Jeana’s room. She found the young girl in the corner of her room, clutching to a bag and a stuffed Ewok doll fearfully.

“Kat,” she said when she saw her. Kaitlin hugged her and kissed her forehead. She trembled in her arms.

“Where’s Zak?”

“In his room,” Jeana replied.

Kaitlin had a fit of coughing before she could pick her up. She found it hard to see because of the smoke stinging her eyes. A blast of hot air singed her when she entered Zak’s room. Laser blasts from the attacking TIE Fighters had set the room alight. She feared that the young Shistavanen boy was dead, before she saw him huddled in a corner as far from the fire as he could get, with a bag at his side. Zak got to his feet when he saw her and tried to get to her, carrying the bag with him. 

Kaitlin grabbed his arm and retreated from the room as quickly as she could with the burden of the two children. She coughed as the thick smoke irritated her lungs. She knew that she couldn’t take much more of it and neither could the children. The turbolift would be too dangerous by now and it was so hard to see that no one lacking sensitivity to the force would have been able to find their way out. Somehow, though she couldn’t explain it, she found the stairs and descended. She found that she could breathe better as she descended, but it would only be a matter of time before the thick smoke would find its way down there too, and it was getting thicker all the time as more of the palace was consumed by the flames. She was glad when they reached the hanger bay.

Zak, exhausted from smoke inhalation collapsed. Shara, seeing that her wait had paid off, saw them emerge from the stairwell and raced out to help her. Shivron followed her and took the bags from Kaitlin while Shara took Jeana. Kaitlin picked up the unconscious form of Zak and was the last to board the Warrior. Having learnt some basic field medical techniques from Shiba, Kaitlin stabilised Zak and checked on Cresentina. Shiba hoped that they reached Sullest before the labour advanced. For the second time that day, Shivron wished that he were more use to them than a one-armed cripple. When he saw Shiba again, he would tell her that he changed his mind the prosthetic arm. Kaitlin joined Shara in the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot’s seat. 

“Shivron, go check on Zak and Cresentina,” she said. “Right, Lobo, let’s see what you can do.”

Shara transferred the main controls over to Kaitlin’s station, as she was more familiar with it than Shara was. Kaitlin fired up the repulsers and brought up the landing struts. Then she switched on the engines and they were away. Almost immediately, TIE Fighters were on their tail. The com buzzed, but Kaitlin just chose to ignore it – it would just be the Imperial Star Destroyer’s Captain demanding their unconditional surrender. 

She had come this far and she couldn’t be bothered to listen to their arrogant blustering. She got a lock on a TIE and sent a proton torpedo through the cockpit of a TIE Fighter that was making an attack run on them.

“Good shot, mistress Kaitlin.”

“Shut up, Lobo. Your prattling is as annoying as that com beeping.”

In retaliation, Lobo answered the com without Kaitlin’s permission.

As Kaitlin knew it would be, an arrogant, very military sounding voice crackled from the com. “This is Captain Kenda of the Imperial Star Destroyer, Punisher. Surrender now and prepare to be boarded, or be destroyed!”

“I’m sorry, Captain, but my captain isn’t on board right now, so I cannot comply with your orders,” Lobo replied.

“You will surrender or be destroyed!”

Lobo let out an electronic raspberry. “As mistress Shiba would say, go kiss a Hutt!” Lobo said, and cut the connection. Kaitlin exchanged a grin with Shara.

“How does Flik put up with that?” the Bothan asked.

“That’s nothing. You should hear what Lobo says to Flik sometimes – it’s not repeatable.”

They had left the atmosphere now and the Punisher was rushing towards them. Kaitlin dodged turbolaser fire and a squadron of TIE Fighters were on their tail.

“Lobo, target the TIEs with the repeating laser cannons,” Kaitlin said.

“I’m on it already.”

“What are you doing?” Shara asked as they were still heading towards the Star Destroyer. 

“Just watch. I’ve always wanted to play chicken with an Imperial Star Destroyer.”

The Star Destroyer loomed closer. When they were almost upon it, Kaitlin asked, “How long till lightspeed?”

“Two minutes.”

“Damn. Lobo, on my word, let loose all proton torpedoes,” She pulled the stick back and they only just missed crashing into the command tower. “Now!”

Lobo dropped the torpedoes. They impacted on the Star Destroyer’s shields, but only brought them down. “Lobo, engage the cloaking device and cut power to the engines.”

“What? Are you crazy?”

“Relax, Shara. I know what I’m doing.”

Inertia kept them moving without the need for burning fuel. Thirty seconds before the jump to hyperspace, Kaitlin dropped the cloaking device and started up the engines. Once the countdown was complete, she flipped the switch and they entered hyperspace.

“I didn’t know you could handle a ship like that!” Shara said.

“You mean for one so young? I surprised myself a little, but then I did have one of the best in the business teaching me, but don’t let Flik know I said that,” Kaitlin replied. “And I guess I had one of the best ships, to pilot too.”

“Why thank you, Kaitlin,” Lobo said. If it were possible, the AI would have puffed its chest out with pride. “At least someone recognises my worth.”

“Don’t let your microchips get too bloated, or they’ll explode,” Kaitlin said.

***  
It had been a couple of hours since the escape from Eriadu. The children were sleeping, Shivron was in the cockpit and Shara was monitoring Cresentina, giving Kaitlin a break from it. Going into the galley, Kaitlin noticed the two bags that Zak and Jeana had gone back to risk their lives for and she was curious to see what they had brought. After mixing up a refreshing drink, (Shiba kept the food and drink supplies on the Warrior almost as meticulously as she kept the medical supplies, even if Kaitlin had no idea what the majority of them was used for,) she sat down at the table and emptied out the contents of Jeana’s bag; there was nothing remarkable in there, only a few toys. In some ways, Kaitlin understood why they had gone back; when her family had been evicted from their farm on Chandrilla by the Imperials, most of her personal belongings had been left behind, and all because her mother’s sister had been an aide to Mon Mothma. Still, it could have been worse.

She put the toys carefully back inside the bag and opened Zak’s bag. His was pretty much the same and she was about to put it to one side when two objects caught her attention; one was a long, slender cylinder with an activation button near the hand grip and a focusing lens at the opposite end. It fascinated her and she remembered seeing it before, wielded by Flik when they had rescued Shara from the Imperial prison, where Quan had been killed. A lightsabre. She activated it, wondering what it was doing there. She knew that it was the weapon of the fabled Jedi, though Flik had denied being one after the attack on the prison. He’d told them that he’d taken it from a criminal he had hunted in his time as a bounty hunter. After gazing at the green blade for a few moments, she deactivated it. Had he told them the truth? And why keep this from them? Did Shiba know that he was a Jedi?

She put the lightsabre down on to the table and picked up the cube. As soon as she touched the cube, it flared into life and made her jump. The image of a Barabel hovered in the air above the cube.

“Greetingz, Jedi. I am Jedi Master Hisha, the Gatekeeper of Tallamichuck’z holocron, and master to Raqak Sivrak and Naja. In it, you will find my teachingz, the eventz of my life and that of my studentz, though itz original creator was a Wookiee Jedi Master, Tallamichuk, who lived over 5000 yearz ago. I reprogrammed it so that I would be itz Gatekeeper, but those original teachingz of his still remain inside thiz holocron.”

“Lobo, what is this?” Kaitlin asked.

“I’m not at liberty to say, mistress Kaitlin,” the AI replied.

“Not at liberty?” Kaitlin asked. “Wait a minute, the Gatekeeper said something about a Raqak Sivrak – Flik’s a Jedi.”

“I wouldn’t know, mistress Kaitlin. You will have to ask him about it yourself.”

Kaitlin sensed that the AI knew more about it than it was willing to tell. That’s the trouble with machines, Kaitlin thought.

***  
Flik had appropriated a swoop. It was fancy looking, and he guessed that it belonged to someone with more money whose taste for the garish far out weighed their need for practically and as such, was not as good as the one in the hold of the Warrior. He’d modified it so it had sensors for the detection of enemies and a computer that tapped into his and Shiba’s signatures so that they could find each other in these situations. Now he had to rely on pure instinct and the Force to find her. 

The government may have changed, but much of the layout of the grounds near the Palace that had taken the place of the Senate Hall was much the same, but the Jedi Temple that had once graced the skyline in that district was gone, and though it was to be expected, that disorientated him at first. The statues that once flanked the boulevard leading up to the old Senate Hall had also been replaced and were now brooding statues of Palpatine himself. Their gaze made him shiver as he passed under their shadow to gain access to the Grand Corridor. 

It didn’t take long for him to be signaled out by the local security force, partly because he wasn’t using a specified traffic lane and partly because he was a Shistavanen in an area mostly frequented by humans. Sometimes that could be such a drag. He didn’t want to cause them harm because they were good people just trying to do their job, even if they were protecting the heart of the Empire, but still he his time as a Bounty Hunter sometimes suppressed his Jedi training and he had to retaliate. 

He spotted the landspeeder for the Imperial News crew and that reporter who had been at the prison they had sprung Shara from. Well, he’d give his fan club something else to condemn him for, he supposed. He saw Shiba and the other Shistavanen as they entered the other tower. He knew he couldn’t follow them so he piloted the swoop along the Grand Corridor until he came to the tower and set it down on the walkway. 

He unsheathed the vibrosword at his back and cut through the barrels of the blaster rifles of the Stormtroopers what had come forward to intercept him. He let the Force guide him now, using the vibrosword much like he would have used a lightsabre. It felt good. After he had dealt with them, he saw Shiba and her companion emerge from the tower. They were jumped up on by a squad of Stormtroopers that he flung aside using the Force and sent falling to their deaths in the dark expanse below. He took that moment to sheath his vibrosword and opted for the use of the more versatile blaster. In that time, Shiba and her companion reached him. He kissed Shiba deeply, relieved that while they weren’t completely out of danger yet, that they were back together again.

It was when they pulled away that he noticed Shiba was wearing the Imperial uniform.

“May I say that’s quite a look you’ve got their Shib.”

“Oh you know, I got bored with the black flight suit.”

Rivik looked at them, open mouthed.

Perhaps it was the exhilaration of the battle, his joy at being with Shiba again, or the fact that he’d been in Zan’s company for too long, but Flik’s first words to the exiled Alpha Premier were, “You don’t get a kiss.”

Looking around, he noticed that the camera crew had followed them. He turned to Shiba, “Do you think our personal paparazzi got that?”

“Yep, but you know what’ll happen to that crew for filming a seemingly Imperial Officer being kissed by an alien.”

“I guess we’ve gotta save their sorry buts, too right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Got any ideas how we’re gonna get out of this bantha dung?”

“Nope.”

There was a big crash and rumble of falling durasteel across the walkway. In the confusion, they sprinted length of the Grand Corridor. Flik grabbed the wrist of the reporter as they passed the crew and Rivik grabbed the cameraman.  
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Karli yelled at him.

“Saving your nosy behind, that’s what,” Flik growled. 

She screamed when she saw the Trandoshan, Kobrossk, waiting with Zan in a landspeeder. There was only just enough room in landspeeder for the cameraman, Rivik and the reporter. Flik knocked Karli out using the Force to stop her screaming and fighting him as he tried to get her into the landspeeder. Flik climbed on to the back of a speeder bike that had belonged to one of the Stormtroopers he had disposed of earlier. It felt much better. 

“Where’s the others?” Flik asked.

“Cathos and the Wookiee caused the distraction, just now and Artea’s getting the ship ready so we can get out of here, fleaball.”

“Turn that holocam off. Do you want them to know where we are?” Kobrossk hissed.

“That’s the whole idea,” the cameraman replied.

A ferocious snarl from Rivik convinced him to turn it off.

“Let’s go.”

***  
Shiba finished changing out of the Imperial uniform and joined Flik in the cockpit of the marauder. They had been lucky to sneak off Coruscant by using a commercial starship as cover, but still, the escape from Imperial Centre had been hairy. She slipped her arms around Flik’s shoulders.

"I have some bad news,” she said producing data disc from the pocket of her flight suit. “They’re building another Death Star.”

Flik and Shiba’s moment of intimate privacy was broken when Karli stormed in.

“Karli, this is not the right time - ” Karli ignored her cameraman flat out.

“I’m an Imperial citizen and a journalist. I demand that you take me back to Imperial Centre right now!” she screamed at the wolfman.

Flik swivelled around in his pilot seat to look at her. He answered her in the tone that Shiba had become familiar with in the early days when she’d first met him and wanted to accompany him on his hunts. “You are in no position to demand anything, lady.”

“You have no right to do this to me,” she advanced upon him gave him a hard slap across his muzzle. For a woman who had no experience of military training, it stung more than he would have expected.

Zan and Cathos appeared in the doorway at that moment. “I’m sorry, Captain, we didn’t know she’d come up here,” Zan apologised, with an air of humility that was unusual for him. Say what you like, when it was needed, Zan dispensed with his characteristic cockiness.

Flik waved his apology away. “It’s ok. I will deal with it.”

The wolfman turned back to the journalist. “I saved your life back there - ”

“Kidnapped me, more like,” she spat at back at him.

“I saved your life back there,” Flik repeated. “Do you really think they’d let you live for broadcasting that?”

“All I know is that you are a stinking, alien terrorist who wants to bring down civilisation. You can’t blame me for wanting to tell the truth about it.”

The way she said it with such passion, he knew she actually believed it. It hurt him more than any injury he had ever sustained to hear someone believe that of him. It wasn’t propaganda for the Empire that she was spilling out, it was actually what she felt in her heart and she hated him.

“I am sorry for your sake that you feel that way.”

Shiba had heard enough. “You couldn’t be further from the truth. What Flik stands for is civilisation, one that doesn’t destroy people’s lives or their homes, but one that stands for justice, peace and freedom.”

“Yeah, freedom for your kind to elope with each other,” Karli spat at her.

Karli said it with such hate and malice that Shiba almost lashed out at her. Only the calm restraint of Flik’s hand on her arm stopped her.

Flik turned his intense lupine gaze upon her. “You may not kill directly but you benefit from it. Tell me, whose worse, the truthful killer or the one who deceives herself?”

Karli fell silent at this. Flik took this as the cue that she was finally at last willing to listen to what he had to say.

“Everything you know, everything you take for granted, everything that gives you the comfortable lifestyle that you now lead was paid for by blood and is maintained by the deaths of innocents – my people and my comrades paid for the creation of the Empire with their blood. The blood of my children, parents and sibling, Sholinar’s people, Shiba’s people and countless others have all been spilled to maintain it. That is the truth of things, journalist. Report that.”

***  
It was much later. They couldn’t take a direct route to Sullest from Coruscant because there was no direct route. It was just as well, really, because they wouldn’t have wanted Imperials following them there from Coruscant. The marauder slipped out of hyperspace at Alderaan.

Flik and Shiba were in the cockpit, alone. The others were taking a rest, or had decided that it was best to leave Shiba alone with her own thoughts. Flik glanced across at her, wondering what was going through her head. Alderaan, once her home was now a place of desolation, and it was a race against time to stop more planets from suffering the same fate.

“You know, even now I still can’t believe it happened. A part of me keeps hoping this is all a bad dream and I’ll wake up to find everything’s fine, well as fine as it was before it happened.”

“I hope it’s not all been a nightmare for you,” Flik said, reaching across to take her hand. He swallowed hard, thinking he’d hoped the same thing during the Jedi Purge that had taken the lives of his comrades that he had mentioned earlier. A cold shiver passed down the length of his spine and he knew, gazing out at the Graveyard, that the old era had passed, making way for the new, no matter what happened with the Death Star. 

Shiba smiled ruefully, her voice breaking into his revere as he tried to pin down what it was that made him feel the passing of the old. “And now I’m having the same nightmare all over again.” She sniffed and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt Flik’s grip on her hand tighten. 

“You won’t be facing this nightmare alone. We’re ready for them this time. This time, we will destroy the Death Star before they have a chance to use it on a planet, even if we have to die to stop them.”

Even as he spoke those words, he knew that would be the most fitting fate for the last of the old Jedi Order. Even as that thought came to him, he realised what it was that he had sensed only moments before. Like Mace Windu, Ki Adi Mundi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Naja and his father before him, Yoda had passed and become one with the Force. 

“You would die for that?”

Flik nodded. “If it is my destiny. I am a Jedi, remember and it’s time I took up that responsibility again.”

“If you die, then I die with you. I couldn’t bear losing someone I love to the Empire again,” Shiba said, giving voice to the very thing that was at the core of all the trouble in the first place, the very thing that the Jedi had struggled for millennia against, but which their inability to properly understand that all life needed it had been their undoing in the end. 

Flik heard someone behind them. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, for hr recognised the journalist’s scent. 

“I understand the relationship between you now,” Karli said.

“How long have you been there?” Flik asked, without even bothering to swivel his chair round.

“Long enough. I’m sorry for what I said to you both earlier. I had no right to say what I did,” she looked out of the veiwport. “So that’s Alderaan.”

“What’s left of it,” Shiba said.

“I had no idea…there were rumours, of course, but they were squashed on Coruscant…and I helped do that,” Karli realised for the first time the true horror of what the Empire had become and probably always was. 

“It is something I still have a hard time believing. Somewhere among those asteroids is what’s left of my husband, Chan. He was a good man. He neither had any affiliations to the Empire or the Rebellion. He didn’t like the Empire but he didn’t want to throw his lot in with the Rebels because he had a family to think about. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

“No. Our daughter and I were off world at the time, though sometimes I think we’d been better off with him when it happened, well at least that was what I thought soon after it had first happened. I gave birth to my son a few months after and left them both with a friend on Corellia. Then I turned to bounty hunting.”

“If you’d been a doctor, why would you have done something that - ?”

“Despicable?” Shiba snorted. “Give me a break. You soon learn that there are far worse things in the galaxy than bounty hunters. Besides, I think I was entitled to go a little off my head when my whole life was destroyed. I bought myself passage on a ship headed for the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, piloted by a Wookiee called Chenlambec. I approached Boba Fett first, because he’d joined the Guild about the same time. He wasn’t interested in a partner, not ever and he told me I should get out of it while I had the chance. The bounty hunters Bossk and Denger just laughed in my face when I asked them. I visited the big cheese of the Guild, a Trandoshan called Cradossk, who happened to be Bossk’s father. He tried to partner me with a Gand called Zuckess, who really didn’t look like he knew what he was doing, so I went back to Chenlambec again. He refused to take me on because he already had a partner called Tinian, but he did give me the name of a hunter he’d worked with before and that hunter was Flik.”

Flik, who had been content to let her tell the narrative from her viewpoint, decided to break in at that point. “I remember. You were a lost bantha cub in a pack of killers - ” he began.

“Hey!”

“Ok, maybe not so much as a bantha cub, but you was vulnerable back then. She pleaded with me to let her be my partner, in business, you understand, back then. I refused, of course. She was a liability to me. I didn’t want her getting herself or me killed and I was used to working alone.”

“I persisted. I put a tracer on his ship and followed him. There was something about him that drew me to him. I felt I could trust him. Of course I could be wrong, but my rage and loneliness compelled me to do it and it was almost like I was looking for a way to follow Chan into death. I guess I had something to prove, to Flik, the other bounty hunters and of course, myself. The hunt went badly for Flik and he was beat up pretty bad. The ship I’d managed to get hold of had been destroyed in the mean time, but I had enough medical skills to stabilise him until I got him to a medical facility, one of the few that dealt with aliens. I saved his life and convinced him to let me work with him.”

“We went on a trial mission together to start with. Shiba proved her worth to me and I repaid her by training her to be a killer. Our first few hunts together were clumsy but she learnt quickly, as did I. We learnt to function as a team and our success rate became one of the highest in the business and we even began to rival Boba Fett. But we were selective about who we went after. We only hunted those whose crimes were so great that ordinary police couldn’t catch them and we did the occasional work for the Hut crime lords, but only when we couldn’t get anything else.

“We became friends and then lovers of a sort. We became addicted to each other. What must have sparked it between us were the experiences we shared, but it became deeper than we realised. Our last hunt was an Imperial Governor called Agar, who replaced Tarkin. Soon after that, we realised our true feelings for each other and decided to get out of the game. First we went to get Shiba’s children from the orphanage run by her friend, because we knew that after our last hunt, we would be targets ourselves and if no one could catch us, they’d go after them instead - ”

“So you were never to blame for the orphanage,” Karli said.

“Not directly, but it was our presence there that caused it. We were captured and a Rebel organised our release.”

Shiba added, “Even our love is illegal, under the Empire. Just another reason to bring them down.” 

Some things don’t change, Flik thought, but instead, he said, “It’s time to finish our journey to Sullest.”

What was left of Alderaan disappeared when they entered hyperspace.

***  
Kaitlin waited for news of Cresentina in the waiting room on board the medical frigate. Zak and Jeana had been treated for smoke inhalation, as had Kaitlin and Shivron. They had been discharged and had gone back to the Forgotten Warrior, which was docked in the hanger. Shara, at the first opportunity, had left to seek out her superiors, leaving Kaitlin alone. Other than waiting for news of Cresentina, Kat was at a loss for what to do. She let her mind wonder in contemplation of what she had seen on the holocron. Could she really be a Jedi, or at least have the potential to be one? She wished Flik were there with her so she could talk it through with him. She’d heard no news of them since they left Eriadu behind, and she was sick with worry at the thought of what was happening to them. On the holo, it looked like they wouldn’t even get out of there.

Her life had certainly been interesting since that time when Flik and Shiba had come to her and Shivron’s rescue.

A shadow fell across her.

“You look lost in thought.”

She looked up to see a wolfman hovering over her. Though she’d never seen him before, there was something definitely familiar about him.

“Lak Sivrak,” he introduced himself. “Shara told me I’d find you here. You have Flik’s scent all over you.”

“You know Flik?” Kat asked. 

“I should do. He’s my brother.”

She wanted to ask the question; was he a Jedi too, but she thought the question would be too intrusive.

“Do you know why the fleet is gathering?” she asked instead.

“The word is that the Bothan’s have discovered something big, but for the moment, no one’s letting on what it is,” a far away look came to his lupine eyes and his voice took on a distant quality. “The final hunt will soon begin.”

The way he said it frightened Kaitlin and for a moment he seemed to be somewhere else, his body was there, but his soul, that shining part of him that gave him life wasn’t there. It passed and he was back with her. 

“It won’t be long before we’re reunited.” 

Kat, missing the true meaning of his words thought he was talking about his brother.


	5. Chapter 5

Upon their arrival in the Sullest system, Flik discovered that Kaitlin was on board the medical frigate. After taking the plans to Admiral Ackbar and imparting the news that Palpatine would be overseeing the final construction of the new Death Star, Flik and Shiba went over to the Medical Frigate to see Kaitlin. Karli and her cameraman, Junel, accompanied them. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Shiba caught the movement of Junel’s holocam. She turned to face him. “This is a place of healing. Turn that pile of Hutt slime off before I see the need to blast it. I don’t see why we couldn’t have had Ackbar throw them two into the brig until this thing is over, Flik.”

“As yet, they’ve not done anything to deserve imprisonment. Besides, they wouldn’t even be here if not for us,” Flik replied.

“I don’t trust them – they are Imperials, after all.

Flik regarded her with an amused expression. “Things aren’t always as they seem, Shiba. You of all people should know that.”

She almost accused him of going Jedi on her, but stopped herself when she remembered Karli and her cameraman.

“Still, they’d better keep that thing away from me - ” she warned. 

A soft rumble of laughter mixed with a growl sounded behind her. “Your hunter’s blood flows as hot as it did the last time we met, Shiba Black.”

Shiba turned around and saw Flik’s brother. “I’ll take that as a compliment, I think. Where’s Dice?”

“Dice is gone,” Lak Sivrak replied, sadly. “She was killed as we escaped Hoth.”

“I am sorry to hear that, brother,” Flik said.

Lak informed them of Cresentina’s death and that of her child. The stress had just been too much for them both. Shiba, though saddened at the news, was relived that she wouldn’t have to inform the other woman of the manner of her husband’s death, and could only hope that the assault on the Death Star would go better.

***  
Flik was in the mess hall aboard Home One, with Shiba, Kaitlin, Lak and much to his annoyance and everyone else’s, it seemed, Karli and Junel as well. The only advantage to having them following them around was that he could keep an eye on them and know that they weren’t intent on betraying the fleet. The children and Shivron had been given sanctuary on Sullest and Shiba had given him the contact details for her friend Nova on Corellia in case the worst happened at Endor. He had called the rest of the Ackley to meet them in the mess, and they were now waiting for them. Shiba had also changed clothes and was now wearing a black t-shirt and trousers, but the strain of the last few days was still etched on her face, as it was on them all. 

Flik glanced across at Kaitlin – something was bothering her and had been since they arrived at Sullest. She’d hardly said two words to him since they’d met over on the medical frigate and he’d put part of it down to Cresentina’s death. He caught her eye and Kaitlin immediately looked down at her plate, as though it had suddenly become more interesting and he guessed that the thing bothering her was more than just Cresentina’s death. Shiba had finished her meal and asked if Flik had finished his. He indicated that he had and after collecting up their plates, she made herself scare and took Lak with her. The silence continued until Flik couldn’t stand it any longer and he was just on the verge of asking Kat what was on her mind, when she saved him the trouble. 

“I know what you’ve been keeping from me,” she said, producing the holocron. She had worked out how to handle the thing without accidentally activating it. Flik snatched it from her open palm before anyone else saw it and secreted it away in the pocket of his jacket.

“Where did you get it?” he asked.

“Zak had it. When I touched it, I activated it somehow - ”

He reached across the table and put his claw to her lips to silence her. “We can’t talk about it here.” Flik indicated Karli and her cameraman. Even though they were not paying any attention to them and discussing whom their next victim should be on their interview list, he’d spotted their holocam on the periphery of his vision.

Kat nodded her understanding as Lak and Shiba rejoined them.

“So, what’s their story?” Lak asked.

“Oh, about how we picked up our personal paparazzi? That, Lak, is a long story.”

“And a rather amusing one, too,” Shiba added.

***  
Flik and Shiba had just finished relating the story of how they picked up Karli and her cameraman, when the rest of the Ackley arrived. Lak thought that it would be prudent to leave while Flik discussed their plans with his people. 

“So what do you want us for?” Zan asked.

“I suspect that the reason for fleet meeting here is to destroy the Death Star that Shiba got the plans for on Coruscant.”

“Just one problem with that, we were scheduled to be here anyway, fleaball,” Zan said.

“Thank you for stating the obvious, Zan,” Flik said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. “It looks like what Shiba picked up was a bonus anyway. Bothan spies uncovered that long before our recent trip to Coruscant. Anyway, that’s not the point of why we’re here.

“Cathos,” Flik continued, “I need you and Zan to keep an eye on our journalists over there. Make sure that they keep their noses out of things they shouldn’t be poking around in.”

That brought an audible groan from Zan.

“Is there a problem with that, Zan?” Flik said, giving him his angry wolf stare.

Zan glanced over at Karli and even though she looked a little rough around the edges, she still had the same charisma that she had on the holo. That more than the quiet threat in Flik’s glare convinced him he had no problem with it.

“No, no problem, Flik.”

“Be careful what you say to her,” Flik warned.

“Don’t worry – I’ll be with them all along,” Cathos reassured him and Zan looked like he was going to protest again, until he caught the gleam in Flik’s eye and decided it best to keep his grievances to himself.

“Shiba, you’ll be on the Medical Frigate?” it was more than a question an order and it annoyed the hell out of Zan – like how come she got a choice in what she was going to do? And from the way he asked her, Flik already knew the answer. That was –

“I cleared it a while back,” she replied.

“Good. Kat, you’ll co-pilot the Warrior with me and I want Sholinar to be on board too. The rest of you can take out the freighter we used to get to Coruscant. I suspect every ship will be needed.”

Just as he finished, their comlinks beeped and Flik checked his.

“They want us in the briefing room now,” he informed the others. “Cathos, Zan, your task begins now.” 

***  
As Flik was leaving the briefing room, he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw that it was Rivik, whom Shiba had helped escape back on Coruscant. Flik bid the Ackley to go on ahead. 

Flik followed the younger Shistavanen into an empty room adjoining the corridor. 

“This is probably not the best time to discuss this, Shirak,” Rivik said, using the name Flik’s father, Raqak had given him to use during the days of the Old Republic to hide his parentage when it had been forbidden for Jedi to marry. Only a few had ever known the truth – Flik’s parents, Master Naja, Lyet, his twin sister, (whom had never been trained at the Temple, even though she was Force sensitive, like her twin.), Auoura, Flik’s love, and those Archetypes whom Mizet, his mother, could trust with the truth. After the Battle of the Uvena System, when the Shistavanens had fought both the Republic and the Separatists, that secret had been uncovered, so Flik saw no reason not to use his true name. Its use had hidden him from Palpatine’s Jedi hunters. Kind of ironic, since Raqak had always used his Sivrak name, and so Flik should have been uncovered! 

“I’ve not gone by that name for a long time,” Flik said.

“You are the heir of Mizet. Those still loyal to your mother have been searching for you for along time,” Rivik said.

“You are right, Rivik, this is not the best time to bring it up,” the disgraced Jedi replied.

“You know of the occupation that has taken hold of our home system for so long. Nidet and I thought that by finding you, we could take it back.”

“And who would you put in its place? I am a Jedi, I cannot rule, lest you want another Palpatine on your hands. Besides, you have been the guardian of our people through the long years of darkness while I have been absent. Even if I could rule, do you think that I would be accepted by them when I abandoned them?”  
Like his absence from the Jedi Order during the purge and his inability to protect his family, not being there to fight against Palpatine’s occupation had been one of the things that he had felt guilt for over the years.

“I am sure you had your reasons to have been in hiding but - ”

“You are a better choice to lead our people than I, Rivik. I cannot return home and expect to put things right after all this time and then pick things up where my mother left off.”

“It’s not just about that. Even if the Alliance succeeds at Endor, it won’t be over for our people. I fear that my exile will have put the Uvena System in the hands of a corrupt archetype called Za and a Sith witch going by the name of Azet.”

A flicker of recognition sparked in Flik’s eyes.

“You know of her?” Rivik asked.

“Yes. I thought that she would have died in the Purge.”

A distant memory flashed through his mind of the Arena on Geonosis. Azet’s master had been unable to leave her behind when the Jedi had been called there, as she was only a child Padawan at the time. Flik remembered saving her life. Had that very action caused another Palpatine to emerge?

“But still, there is little that can be done for now. It will have to wait until after Endor.”

Rivik nodded his agreement and Flik existed the room. A little further down the corridor, he bumped into Shiba, who had decided to wait for him.

“Shouldn’t you be on the Medical Frigate by now?” Flik asked her.

“What’s going on, Sivrak?” Shiba answered his question with one of her own, in the tone that she used when she knew that there was something bothering him but he wanted to keep it from her.

Flik wondered just how much he should tell her. “It’s just a minor problem that can wait until after the coming battle. Besides, it’s not something I want to discuss with so many people around.”

Shiba nodded. She would just have to accept that as his answer for now. Besides, she had ways of getting the truth out of him and it could wait until they were alone.

“Okay then, keep your little secrets,” Shiba said.

“You’ve still not answered my question.”

“We’re on the verge of heading into the biggest battle of our lives, possibly even in history, and you worry about where I should be. I thought you’d be happy that I wanted to spend a few moments with you before we have to split up again.”

Flik smiled at her. “Of course I’m glad. It’s just that what Rivik had to say rattled me, that’s all.”

Shiba slipped her hand in his and squeezed. “To tell you the truth, I can’t wait until this thing is over. It’s been a hellish few days, ever since we busted Shara out of that Imperial compound.”

Flik hugged her shoulders, wondering if it would ever be over. Just when you’d thought all the piranha beetles had been squashed flat, about ten more for everyone you killed seemed to emerge from the nest.

***  
Flik transported Shiba over to the medical frigate using the Warrior. He would have liked to have her at his side in the coming battle, but as he must resume his role as a Jedi, she must resume hers as a healer. Still, as they parted from each other, he couldn’t help but feel like he was leaving apart of himself behind. 

On his return to Home One, he found Kaitlin waiting for him. He descended the ramp and beckoned her to come up. “Where’s Sholinar?” Flik asked her.

“I asked him to come along later, that’s if you don’t mind,” Kat replied. “I thought we had stuff to talk about.”

Flik nodded. He’d wondered on the way back over how he’d get to talk to Kaitlin alone about the Jedi, but it seemed that Kat had solved that problem for him. Once they were both inside, Flik ordered Lobo to seal the ship, but let them know when Sholinar arrived. 

“We’ll talk in the galley,” Flik said, and led the way, even though Kat knew perfectly well where it was. 

Once they were seated, Flik looked across at her, wondering how to begin. Apart from revealing what he was to Shiba, he had kept his Jedi powers hidden for so long for his own protection and that of his mate and son, when they had been alive. He thought about how much he should tell her, but perhaps the knowledge of the confrontation he’d had with Tek would be too burdensome for now, and it would only lend weight to the old debate against Jedi having family – as if enough problems hadn’t been caused by that already! So he remembered that he’d not thanked her for saving the children. 

“I’ve not thanked you yet for saving Zak and Jeana, and for getting my Lightsabre and the holocron out of there, especially the holocron. The Lightsabre I could have easily replaced, but the holocron is the only one of its kind; there are others, but out there, but they have been lost to us, and the holocron in my possession has teachings on it unique to that particular one. I thought it was in a secure compartment on board the Warrior – I couldn’t imagine how Zak got hold of it.”

“He has Jedi power, doesn’t he?”

Flik nodded. “He has. I sensed your Jedi power as soon as I met you. You can see why I have been cautious about telling you and coming forward with this – with the Jedi Purge, I’ve had to keep my powers a secret and protect anyone who I come across with them too. I had to be sure that you were ready to know the truth, though it seems events have conspired to bring it out into the open. I must apologise if you think I’ve tried to deceive you in anyway, as that has never been my intention.”

“The gatekeeper of the holocron, did you know him?”

“Her. Hisha was the teacher of my father, Raqak, and my own Master, Naja. I never met her because she left the Order before I was born, not because she had turned to the darkside, but because she wanted to take her own path. The old Order was too rigid at times, and I left it in turn because of that, but never abandoned being a Jedi and that’s how I managed to escape the Purge when so many others didn’t. My father was killed by Vader when he finally tracked him down and Naja died during the Clone Wars.”

“Master Sivrak, there is a Shistavanen outside the ship,” Lobo reported.

“Did he give a name?”

“Yes, Rivik. He said that you know him.”

Flik turned to Kat. “It looks like we’re going to have to cut this a little short, Kaitlin.” Addressing the AI, “Let him in.”

Lobo acknowledged the order and a minute later, Rivik was in the galley with them.

“I figured that you would need help, Sivrak, and it’s time for the Archetypes to fight at the side of the Heir of Mizet again.”


	6. Chapter 6

The fighting above the forest moon of Endor had been fiacre. At one point, even the medical frigate and Shiba had been at risk, but the quick actions of some brave pilots had ensured that it and Shiba had survived. 

Lak hadn’t – Flik, on board the Warrior had felt his brother die when he had sacrificed himself by slamming his X-Wing into the shields that protected the Death Star, in the hope that doing so would bring them down. It hadn’t worked of course.

Kaitlin’s voice brought him out of his reverie.

“Flik, we’re being hailed by Artea.”

“Put her through, Kat,” Flik ordered.

A second later, Artea’s voice issued over the com. She sounded surprisingly calm for the news she had to impart. 

“We’ve been hit, sir. We’ve lost control of the ship and we can’t avoid the shield.”

“Stand by, Artea. We’ll see what we can do to prevent this from happening.”

“Negative, sir. There isn’t enough time, so this is goodbye sir. Out.”

Flik slammed his fist into the console, narrowly avoiding damage to it.

“Lobo, track them!” Flik barked the order at the Warrior’s AI before turning to Kat. “Kat, put us on a heading towards Artea’s side of the shield, and once there, get ready to lock a tractor beam on them. We might be able to get them out of there.”

“Mistress Artea is right; there is not enough time,” Lobo objected, lacking the usual sarcasm the AI usually employed.

Losing patience, Flik growled menacingly at the AI, “Then make time, Lobo! There has to be something this rust bucket that this rust bucket that my grandfather put together can do!”

Kat, ignoring Lobo’s outburst, changed course anyway, abruptly enough to cause Rivik to call in over the ship’s internal comlink system.

“What’s going on? You just caused me to lose my target.”

Rivik was at the quadlaser station, as was Sholinar, their job to keep enemy fighters off the ship.

“I’ll tell you later. There’s no time to explain.”

A moment later, the Wookiee voiced his concern about the change in course, but Flik just ignored him.

Time seemed to slow down as Artea and the rest of the Ackley made their way inexorably towards their appointment with the Death Star’s shields that would spell their doom.

“Err Flik, I don’t believe this!” Kat exclaimed, her voice a mixture of disbelief and excitement.

“What? What is it?” Flik asked turning to regard Kat.

“The shield’s gone! Solo’s team must have been successful at blowing up the bunker.”

“And not before time, too,” Flik replied.

“They are still going to crash, Mistress Kaitlin,” Lobo informed them. “We still won’t get there in time to prevent it.”

“Well duh!” Kat shot back at the AI. Flik’s look of disapproval stopped Kat from saying more.

“Lobo, have you projected where they are most likely to crash?”

“What do you take me for?” Lobo blurted, his sarcasm coming back into his voice. “I’m downloading the co-ordinates now.”

“At least now they have a chance,” Flik murmured.

“I’m gonna set us down near the estimated crash site.”

“No you’re not,” Flik said, adding before Kat could voice her objection. “I’m going to be landing the Warrior.”

Kat frowned at him. “You still don’t trust me in handling the Warrior?” she blurted out. “Even after what I did to get the kids out of the Eriadu System?”

Flik’s muzzle creased in an amused grin, which got even wider when he saw her pout. “Stunts like charging towards a Star Destroyer are precisely why I don’t completely trust you to handle the Warrior. Now, no more arguments.”

Kat rudely stuck her tongue out at him, but Flik pretended he hadn’t seen it. 

***  
What a mess, Kat thought when she saw the wreckage of the ship. The crew from the Warrior had split off into two teams to search the area for survivors, Rivik and Sholinar in one, Flik and Kat in the other.

Without even needing the use of her fledgling sensitivity to the Force, Kat knew that Flik wished Shiba, and not her, was at his side for this one, simply because of her superior medical knowledge.

Staring at the burning heap of metal, Kat said aloud, “I don’t know how anyone could have survived that.”

“They’re alive, Kaitlin,” Flik said, to reassure her. “Though if we don’t find them soon, I don’t know for how long.”

In the forest, the bellow of a Wookiee could be heard.

“Sholinar and Rivik have found them,” Flik said, with far more confidence than Kaitlin felt herself. “Come on, Kaitlin.” He broke off into a sprint in the direction of Sholinar’s call. The wolfman was fast – Kat found herself hard pressed to keep up with him and if it had not been for the link in the Force that Flik had set up between them, she was sure she would have lost him.

Flik used more mundane senses to locate Rivik and Sholinar – he just used his predator’s keen sense of smell and sight to track their path through the forest and he arrived at the scene long before Kat.

They were in a clearing, just far enough away from the wrecked ship to be safe, but no further than that as it was quite clear that the other Ackley were severely hampered by injury sustained in the crash.

He found that Zan and Shara had been badly injured in the crash and were unconscious, being guarded by Kobrossk, Rivik and Sholinar. Artea, he saw, had suffered injury but was still awake. There was no sign at all of the Gotal, Cathos. 

“Where’s Cathos?” he asked Artea.

“Dead, sir. He died when his console exploded after we got hit. If we’d not had Kobrossk with us, none of us would have gotten out of that - ” she indicated the burning wreckage.

“Save your strength, Artea,” Flik interrupted her, as he could see that she was only barely clinging on to consciousness. Oh, how he wished Shiba were with him. He pushed that thought away.

Flik threw the Trandoshan a blaster rifle that was suited to his claws. Ever since he’d taken command of the Ackley, Flik had made sure that the Warrior was stocked with weapons and equipment that the dexterity challenged reptiliod could use. The Trandoshan was the only one among the ship’s crew not to have suffered any injury in the crash.

Kat arrived, out of breath. It took her a few moments to regain control of her breathing and it was only then that she noticed the absence of Cathos.

“Cathos?” she asked.

“Gone,” Kobrossk answered her.

Kat looked up at the sky and just at that moment, a fireball exploded, so bright and close it took up a significant portion of the sky. The rest, barring Artea, who had herself lost consciousness just as Kat had arrived, followed her gaze.

Kat shot a grin at Flik. “Looks like we won.”

Flik shook his furry head, disliking the fact that he’d had to dampen her enthusiasm. “Not quite. We still need to get them out of here.”

“We’d better do this quickly, Sivrak. There may still be some Imperials around who haven’t accepted the war is lost to them,” Rivik warned.

Flik nodded his agreement with the former Alpha Premier. He looked to Kat.

“I hate to do this to you, Kat, but could you go back to the Warrior and contact the Medical Frigate? Let them know we need assistance down here. Sholinar, go with her, make sure she doesn’t get lost or anything.”

“Hey!” Kat said, as Sholinar barked his acknowledgement of the order.

“The rest of us will stay here to keep our Imperial friends at bay in case they try to give us any trouble.”


	7. Epilogue

Night had long since descended on the celebration at the Ewok village on Endor. Shiba, weary with fatigue from her shift on board the medical frigate, had distanced herself from the other partying Rebels and their new Ewok allies, not because of that fatigue, but because she wanted to spend sometime alone and so that she could have Flik all to herself when he returned from the errand he was on.

She heard the sound of claws scrabbling on wood and she turned around to see the familiar half humanoid half lupine shape approaching her in the darkness. 

“Where have you been?” she asked, a little more sharply than she’d intended. 

“Saying good bye to an old friend,” Flik replied, referring to the funeral pyre of Darth Vader. He’d exchanged a few words with Luke Skywalker and then left Anakin’s son to make his peace with his father.

“Sorry. You lost your brother in the battle,” Shiba said, moving forward to embrace him.

That too, he thought as he hugged her tight to him, not wanting to think that he had almost lost her. Again. He wondered if he should correct her, but then perhaps it would be better if she didn’t know he’d been referring to Anakin Skywalker – Darth Vader, rather than his brother, Lak. Although the Rebels had won this day, that victory had still extorted a high price. Quan was gone, has were Cresentina, Trin and Cathos. 

“How are Zan, Shara and Artea?” Flik asked her, not really wanting to stay on the subject of Vader, or his brother.

“After a few hours in the bacta tanks they’ll be ok.”

“That’s good, apart from that Zan will be back to his annoying self again.”

Though he didn’t want to think about Lak, Flik found himself bringing that subject back again a moment later. “All I have left know is Zak - ” Flik began, despondency resonating in his voice.

“Hey, you have me,” Shiba interrupted, kissing him on the muzzle to remind him of the fact. “And Jeana and Chan too.”

“I know,” Flik replied. “I – I meant from my original family. My parents are gone, Auoura, Tek, my twin Lyet and now Lak.”

“And you still have Lyet’s kids. There’s still a chance that Nakita and Ryqik are out there.”

Flik’s eyes widened in surprise at the mention of their names and shook his head in frustration. “I searched for them, Shiba, right after I found out about Lyet’s death. I never found them. Besides, how do you know about them? I don’t recall ever discussing them with you.”

“Rivik and I had a little chat,” Shiba explained and ignoring Flik’s angry curse, continued by adding, “They could still be out there, Flik.”

“Rivik also told me who was responsible for Lyet’s death,” Flik said. “How long do you think a couple of children could elude a Sith on their own? I suppose he also told you about Azet.”

“He did,” Shiba admitted as she reached out to bury her fingers in the thick fur of the mane that surrounded his neck in an attempt to calm him. “Look Flik, you can’t just give up on Nakita and Ryqik, at least until we know for sure one way or the other about their survival.”

Flik’s expression softened. “I guess you’re right, Shiba, but after all this time, it’s gonna be difficult to pick up their trail.”

Shiba flashed him a smile. “Consider it our last act as bounty hunters.”

At that moment, Kat materialised out of the darkness.

“What are you two doing here skulking?” she asked. “Come on, you should be enjoying your selves at the party.”

Flik and Shiba exchanged resigned glances as they followed her back to the centre of the festivities. They found Sholinar, Kobrossk and Rivik standing in a group in the company of Karli Savoyna and Junel.

With a smirk on her face, Kat said, “Zan’s gonna be so peeved he missed this.” She referred to the fact that he was at that moment, floating around in bacta. Sholinar let out a series of amused guffaws. 

“Serves him right,” Shiba added.

Turning to Karli and her cameraman, Flik asked, “What will you two do now?”

Karli shrugged her shoulders before answering, “Our careers are definitely over. We broadcast the entire battle to civilian networks all over the galaxy. I suspect whoever’s in charge of the Imperial administration have frozen our assets back on Coruscant for it. We were thinking of going into smuggling, if we can still have access to them.”

“And if it’s the case you can’t get at them?”

Karli shrugged her shoulders again before replying; “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”


End file.
